Silence
by Aleka446
Summary: Tsulika is a silent ROOTS member who comes on a mission to Konoha. She knows that Naruto is dangerous because of the nine-tails, but he makes her want to speak... He takes her out of the silence. NarutoxOC R
1. Soundless

Silence

Chapter One

Okay, even though I'm a hardcore NARUSAKU fan, I had this idea swirling around in my head.

What would happen... if a ROOTS member came with Sai and fell in love with Naruto, but didn't speak?

The answer is: AWESOMENESS

I don't own Naruto, unfortunately.

Soundless

Silence.

That's all Danzo heard from the emotionless girl as she knelt next to a dark-haired boy, pale blue eyes on the floor. Never, in all his years, head someone like her come along. She never spoke, just simply wrote out what she wanted to say. Also, she sometimes used gestures.

Her long white hair was braided and hung perfectly down her back. "Your names for this mission will be Sai and Tsulika." The boy answered immediately. "Yes, Lord Danzo." The girl didn't reply at all, just simply nodded. "Look at me and speak," he commanded softly. She raised her head, but no words passed her lips. She was waiting to see what he would do.

"Dismissed," Danzo said, not in the mood to punish her for her disobedience. They stood up and walked back towards the door. After going into the hallway, he turned one way and she turned the other. Her clothes were plain and simple; a sleeveless white shirt with a black vest and grey pants. Her only weapon was a katana and she had a single pack of kunai strapped around her thigh.

She had killed many of her peers in that same outfit, using that same katana. But she was in ROOTS; it was kill or be killed. As she entered her dorm, her roommate looked over. "A mission," she said. Not a question, but still Tsulika nodded. "What was it?" Her roommate didn't expect an answer, though. She had learned long ago that Tsulika wasn't one for verbal communication. She was always writing out what she wanted to say.

The girl took off her weapons and got into her change of clothes for sleeping in. As she settled into her cot, she thought about the mission. '_A Uchiha_,' she thought mildly. '_Orochimaru finally got his_ _Sharingan._' With a yawn, she rolled over and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was a big day, and she needed some rest.

. . .

As Sai walked back into the room she was sitting in, Tsulika looked at him. Quickly, she wrote 'Where were you?' on a piece of paper. He read it and replied, "I gave someone a little test." She nodded and looked back out the window. "We've got to go. Our team is supposed to meet us," Sai said.

Another nod.

They weren't friends, or anywhere close to friends. Tsulika had put all of her attention into becoming a great ninja, ignoring all other members. Or so they thought. She observed them and found out their weaknesses beforehand. Smart and silent. She had her weaknesses, too; there was a point on her ribs that made her collapse. Nobody knew why, but they still tried to use it to their advantage.

Obviously, no one had succeeded.

Tsulika gave a silent sigh and walked out the door. Sai was nowhere to be seen and she trailed her fingers down her perfect braid and tightened her forehead protector in her hair. No one was going to ruin this for her, not even Sai. Closing her eyes, she gave another sigh and started walking again.

She went through Konoha swiftly, ignoring the stares from the people there. When she got to the place where she was supposed to meet her teammates, she took a look around and shook her head. Sai was hiding in the shadows somewhere, but Tsulika felt no desire to join him or go get him. The girl simply watched the pillar with a blank gaze, looking out of place among the familiar people of the Leaf.

"Hey," said a girl's voice. She looked over her shoulder at a pink-haired kunoichi and a blond ninja, both of whom looked a little awkward. "Are you on our team?" Tsulika nodded to answer the girl's question. "Hi there!" the boy cried. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?"

She looked down at the hand he held up and shook it, but didn't say anything. "What's your name?" his teammate asked. Tsulika touched her throat and shook her head. "You can't talk?" Naruto guess. She shook her head again. "You... won't talk?" he guessed again. Tsulika nodded and turned away.

"Well... um... I'm Sakura."

A single nod was all that came from the white-haired ROOTS member. Her ice blue eyes were now fixed on the shadows, trying to find Sai. "Well, you can at least tell us your name," Naruto said. '_No_,' she thought. They couldn't hear her, though. "Hello," said a male voice. They turned to see a man with brown hair and a green vest. "Hi," Sakura replied hesitantly.

"I'm Yamato. I'll be your replacement captain for now. Wasn't there one more?" he asked Tsulika, who nodded into the shadows. Sai appeared a second later, smiling a fake smile. Tsulika kept no expression on her face, feeling no urge to let her new comrades think she was friendly and poke around for potential weaknesses of hers.

"You!" Naruto shouted. Tsulika narrowed her eyes slightly. 'So that's where he ran off to. Little punk.' If he was going to 'test' their comrades, couldn't he wait until later? Their secret mission would surely gain them time for testing. The girl watched as Naruto yelled, "What was with you attacking me?" The other boy replied, "It was a test. I can't be protecting a little prick with no dick." Tsulika didn't feel embarrassed to hear those words. She didn't feel anything at all emotionally.

"Why you-" Naruto threw himself at the boy and Sakura caught him. "Naruto, knock it off! And you, that was really rude," Sakura said to him. Sai smiled again. "I don't really care for what you have to say. Though sometimes I like ugly bitches like you. Look at Tsulika." The girl didn't react to his comment or try to stop Sakura as she threw herself at him.

"Jeez, Sakura!" said Yamato as he held her back. "Calm down!" Tsulika, deciding that this was only way she would be able to hear the details of the mission, went over to Sai and punched him in the gut. She had caught everyone off-guard. Sai doubled over, clutching his exposed stomach. Sakura stared at Tsulika as if she was an alien.

Tsulika wrote on another piece of paper, 'Has he been punished enough?' and gave it to Sakura. The kunoichi read it and said, "Wow... um... yeah..." Tsulika took the paper back and wrote her request on it before giving it to Yamato this time.

He read the second line and said, "We'll get to the details of the mission soon. Let's introduce each other."

"Haruno Sakura," said the girl.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he grumbled.

"You may call me Sai. She's Tsulika," said Sai.

The girl nodded to confirm it and Yamato said, "I think she can introduce herself." Tsulika shook her head. "She doesn't talk," Naruto explained. "I wish you were like her," Sakura said. Yamato, sensing an argument, said quickly, "So, here's what we'll be doing for the mission..."

. . .

Tsulika wrote down 'What do you think about the mission?' Sai replied, "We'll be able to do it if we can convince Orochimaru's spy. The hard part will be avoiding the rest of the team after the mission is completed." Tsulika nodded in agreement. "I'm going to my own apartment. See you tomorrow."

Tsulika turned back towards the window. She was ready for tomorrow, but there was an emotion twisting in her stomach that made her dread the following mission. This mission would determine whether or not she would fight for her life again.

She never wanted to go in there again. The last time had been one of the most horrid. The boy she was supposed to fight had had a certain sickness that caused him to have seizures at times. She could still see his grey eyes clouding over and his brown hair soaked from sweat.

But most of all, she remembered Danzo. "Do it," he commanded. "Kill or be killed." She had slowly drawn her katana and slammed it through the boy's chest, killing him in an instant. Then she had collapsed of a sudden ill feeling and didn't remember much beyond that. Taking a deep breath, she forced the emotions out of her system. 'In ROOTS you have no feelings.' After repeating that sentence over and over in her mind, Tsulika opened her eyes, face expressionless once more.

'I ought to get some rest. The mission will be important and I must be rested to give it the highest standard a ninja can give.'

. . .

"Shut up, you bastard!"

'Naruto doesn't get it, does he? Sai won't "shut up",' Tsulika thought. They hadn't been very nice to each other since the first day, and it didn't look like things were getting much better. "What do you mean? I was simply saying the truth." The girl let out a silent sigh. 'Maybe you should take a leaf out of my book and stay silent, you fricking idiot.'

Naruto was about to say something, but Sakura interrupted by stepping in front of him. "Sorry about that. He gets a little irritated when you insult his friends," she said, smiling. Tsulika opened her mouth slightly as if to say something in warning, but no words came out. Sakura's fist rammed itself into her fellow ROOTS member's face and he flew across the clearing. "Don't you ever," she snarled, "say that about Sasuke again!"

Then she turned to the white-haired girl. "Remember this, Silent Treatment. 'Cause if you say something, it'll be you next time." Tsulika responded by promptly holding up her middle finger. "Bitch," Sakura muttered. "Bitch," the girl mouthed back. After so many years of not forming words, her lips made the mouthing awkward, but the general message came through.

"That smile looked so sincere," Sai said. "It had me fooled." Then he smiled and stood. "How can you just stand there grinning after she knocked you into next week?" Sai replied, smiling, "The best way to diffuse a troublesome situation is by smiling." He walked to Sakura's side. "It'll fool more people than you think."

Tsulika stepped forward and threw a crumpled-up piece of paper at him. He caught it, smoothed it out, and read:

Stop. This is hurting the mission more than you know.

Sakura read it upside down. "Tsulika's right. We need to focus on the mission so we can get rid of you," she said. Sai looked at the girl, telling her with his eyes that she was lucky that Sakura was talking about the wrong mission. "That's enough!" Yamato barked, seeing the possible fight that could start with the two ROOTS members.

He quickly created a wooden cage using his wood-style. "Now, you can stay in this cage to work out your differences or you can come to the hotel and enjoy the hot springs! Your choice!" Tsulika merely put her paper and pencil away and straightened. 'If I do something that crosses the line, I might have to go back into the arena. That will not happen.'

As they started walking again, Naruto dropped beside her. "Hey," he said. She didn't give any indication that she had heard him. Not to be deterred, he continued, "So you don't talk, huh? Well, don't you? C'mon, you can tell me anything."

As is someone was controlling her, she shook her head. "Ahhhh... I wanted to hear you talk," Naruto complained, slumping his shoulders dramatically. She looked at him for the first time and he grinned. "Do I need to resort to flirting, possibly? Will that make you talk? 'Cause babe, you so fine!" Her hand came across his face in one fluid movement.

It didn't hurt too badly, but it shocked the boy into stopping. Tsulika kept on walking, keeping her head held high and her face expressionless. "Wow," Naruto said. "She is... so my type!"

. . .

Oh, Naruto. Can't you take a hint? But he does seem to like the girls who 'hit' on him... Ha-ha okay so review!


	2. The Silencing

Silence

Chapter two

Oh my gosh. Thank you for the reviews! Here's the next chapter in Silence. I hope you like it. It dives into her past.

~The Silencing~

Tsulika slid into the water, still silent. Sakura glared at her, scowling. 'Who does she think she is? Acting all upright and being all quiet. It's probably for attention.'

While Sakura thought that, Tsulika was thinking, 'The other girl on my team doesn't like me or trust me. Well, she's at least got some intelligence. Right now, she's probably thinking those same things about me.'

They stayed in the water in silence, Tsulika pointedly ignoring Sakura and the pink-haired kunoichi shooting her glares. All of a sudden, a boy's voice shouted, "STOP LOOKING! OF COURSE I HAVE ONE!" Tsulika opened her eyes. Sai was going to ruin the mission with these little jokes he was playing. Not that he cared. It wasn't him going into the arena.

Tsulika never understood why people liked to make jokes about others. There were even a few people who looked forward to killing in the arena. Maybe they got some sort of sick satisfaction from it. Tsulika watched as Sakura, blushing, got out and wrapped a towel around herself. The other Konoha kunoichi stayed for awhile longer, closing herself off to the world.

When she got out, it was around dinner. She found the rest of the team pretty easily. "It's nice of you to join us," said Yamato. She didn't respond and sat down around the food they were having. Sai was smiling his fake smile while eating some seafood. Naruto was gorging himself and Sakura was eating a lot, too.

Tsulika took some chopsticks and was soon eating a bit of everything. She hadn't been on many missions, manly because of her speech issues. The slop they served for meals in ROOTS made this seem like she was eating like royalty.

When they finished, everyone was filled to the brim with their meals. "Did everyone eat enough?" Yamato asked. Sleepy nods came from the teenagers and the man smiled. "Alright. Time for bed. See you tomorrow."

Tsulika followed Sakura upstairs, rubbing her eyes. "Here," the girl yawned, opening the door for her teammate. Tsulika chose her sheets and sat down on them before letting her braid out. It was long and went all the way down her back.

She brushed through it and closed her eyes. "Your hair is really pretty. Has it always been that color?" asked Sakura. Tsulika winced and shook her head, rubbing her ribs absentmindedly.

She put her hair into a ponytail and lay back, yawning again. She was rubbing her ribs again, flinching every so often. Sakura was already asleep. 'Nobody knows about my weakness here. They don't know about the point...' Tsulika grimaced before rolling over and going to sleep.

. . .

A redheaded girl ran through the forest behind her mother, stumbling over leaves. "Nira, run faster!" the woman cried, pulling her daughter's hand along. "Mama! Mama, I'm scared!" wept the little girl, closing her eyes. As soon as they shut, the enemy was upon them.

Nira was thrown into a nearby tree. She opened her eyes to see men around her mother, wearing a helmet or a mask or something like that. One turned and approached her, smiling cruelly. "G-Go away, Mister! L-Let me and my Mama go!" she said, trying to make her small voice sound strong.

The man laughed and picked her up. Nira screamed and tried to wiggle out of his arms. "We've got a live one! She's about three!" he called. A kunai was handed to him and he met the girl's eyes with his purple and silver ones. "Let's see... a quick, painless death or a long, slow one. Which would you prefer, Missy?"

She spat at him, kicking her legs. "Slow and painful it is. Nightly entertainment, boys!" He shoved the kunai into her ribs, pinning her against the tree. Then he backed off and watched as she writhed and screamed for her mother. They laughed when she sobbed and cheered when she screamed.

"WHY? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?" she wailed at them, crying harder. "Shut up," the leader yawned lazily. Hearing that, she took the kunai handle in her fists and pulled it out before dropping down to the ground. The men yelled out and tried to pin her back up, but their leader suddenly yelled, "It's Konoha! Retreat!"

Nira coughed up blood as masked figures surrounded her. "What's your name?" one of them asked. "N-Nira," she whispered back. "Not anymore. Come along." He picked her up and carried her past her mother's body, cold and lifeless. "Mama," the girl whimpered, reaching for her. "No. She's dead."

They carried her through the forest and across a wide river until they came along some more masked people. "Who is she?" a female one asked. "A girl with no family. She isn't part of the enemy." Nira dozed off soon afterward, unable to understand the adult's conversation.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital room. When they realized she was awake, they made her walk to another room. An elderly man sat in the center of it. She was forced onto her knees.

"So, Nira. Your family is dead and you've no place to go to," he said. She didn't know what to say, so she remained silent until one of them hit her. "Y-Yes, Sir." He lifted her chin and turned her head from side to side. "You're strong. There would be no way that you could've survived that if you weren't. I can offer you a place to stay if you promise me one thing."

"A-Anything, Sir."

"You must join a program called ROOTS and go through training so you have no emotions. You must stay loyal to Konoha and learn the art of the Shinobi. You will have no name, emotions, or body. You will be a tool for me. Do you agree?"

Nira nodded. "Yes. I understand. And I accept." He leaned back. "You shall address me as 'Sir' or 'Lord Danzo'. Take her back to the hospital ward." She fell asleep there, trying to figure out how training could make sure you have no emotions.

Over the next few years of her life, she found out. Eventually, she buried her memories deep down inside her, along with her emotions. The girl learned to show no compassion for her comrades and excelled quickly through her studies.

She met a boy with silver hair who was extremely nice to her in specific. He was about a year older than her, which made him special to her because she wasn't even recognized by her own peers.

Yet, she tried her best to ignore him. Another boy, this one with black hair, was trying to get her to become friends with them. He called the other boy "Brother" for reasons that she didn't understand. As they grew into their teenage years, she began to feel her heartbeat speed up when she saw the silver-haired boy. After all those years, he still hadn't given up on her.

In fact, he would smile illegally when he saw her sometimes. He became the only topic she thought about. They didn't meet often, but one time he snuck out when she was training one evening. "Hey," he said, leaning against a tree. She blushed and pulled her hair through her fingers. "Hello."

"I've wanted you to join my brother and I for quite some time now. You keep pushing us away. Why?" the boy asked, walking towards her. She backed away, but her back hit a tree and she had to stop. "We wanted you to come," he said, leaning forward until his forehead touched to hers. She was sure that he could feel her heartbeat. He was the only one who got any emotion out of her.

She took a deep breath and whispered, "All I think about is you." He smiled and whispered back, "All I think about is you, too." Then his lips touched hers. That had been one of the best nights of her life, the night of her first kiss. She knew that she loved him and that he loved her back, but it would be too strange if she just started staying by his side.

Ties to others were not permitted, especially between boys and girls. They would sneak out at night and meet up to kiss and talk. One night, he brought his brother along. They were the same age but weren't very acquainted. When they were ready to leave, the silver-haired boy turned to her. "I've heard a rumor that you're in danger of being experimented on. We're running away tomorrow. Meet us here at three A.M. I love you."

Then he kissed her once and left. The redhead walked back to her dorm. She felt no fear about the warning, but she loved the boy and knew she would feel lost without him.

A few hours later, she zipped up her pack and expertly slipped out the window. When she got to the familiar clearing, the two boys weren't there. "Hello? Hello?" Suddenly, the black-haired boy burst out of the trees and took her wrist. "What-" He pulled her down and slapped a hand over her mouth.

"My brother was overheard," he whispered into her ear. "He's in a fight with other ROOTS members. You've got to go back to your dorm now. My brother will be alright." She nodded and they separated, running away from each other. The girl almost made it, but someone caught her. "No! Let me go!" she shrieked, twisting.

Danzo came through the trees and looked at the girl. "You said that you'd be loyal to ROOTS forever. Yet, you try to run away," he said. She didn't answer and they dragged her by her hair into a large building. They threw her into some dirt. "You two shall fight to the death." The girl froze and slowly looked up to see the boy she loved.

"N-No... please! I-"

The boy had walked over to her side. "C'mon. Stand up." She did as he asked, shaking. He stepped away. "Fight," the boy said, taking one of the giant shuriken from his back. She drew her katana as he threw it and sliced at him. He dodged and held her wrists.

She pulled away and pivoted around. She had expected him to dodge because it was easy to avoid the sword. Instead, her katana went straight into his stomach. "NO!" she screamed as he collapsed, still trying to gasp in breaths. Someone grabbed her around the waist and carried her away from the limp boy. They strapped her down on a table and poked a needle under her ribs.

She screamed and tried to fight them off, but she was unable to. There was a anesthetic needle injected in her leg and she saw Danzo's face before blacking out.

. . .

Tsulika sat up, clutching her hair. It wasn't very often that she remembered her past. After the operation, her hair had turned white and she didn't have any emotions anymore. The boy's brother had been told that his brother had died of an illness.

She remained silent after that night. She hadn't talked much before. Only to say yes and no to Danzo and to talk to him. She quickly got ready and walked out the door to meet Sai.

She found him by the river, drawing. Tsulika looked over his shoulder at the drawing and he looked up. "Tsulika." Their short friendship had dissolved after that night, also. She sat next to him and folded her hands, looking away.

Sai snuck glances at her, wondering if she even remembered his brother. The boy had some kind of strange emotion for her. Sai had asked him what it felt like and he had replied, "Strange, but a good strange. I like it." Then there had been the night of the escape... the last night he saw his brother alive. Tsulika had changed after that night, too.

"Tsulika..." He hesitated. "On that night, did you see him alive after I warned you?" She tensed and shook her head. Then she turned completely away from him, facing upriver. "They say he died of a disease. Which disease do you think it was?" She shrugged. 'I'm sorry, Sai. He didn't die of a disease. He died because I killed him.'

. . .

Okay, so tell me what you think. ^^


	3. Sorrow With a Side of Mission

Silence

Chapter three

I'm glad you guys are curious as to what Sai will do when he finds out about his brother. I've got a plan and it'll be awesome. Just keep the reviews coming!

~Sorrow With a Side of Mission~

"Hey there," said a female voice. They looked around to see Sakura standing there. Tsulika immediately stood up and walked past the other kunoichi, not in the mood to deal with the annoying pink-haired girl. She stalked past a tree and turned a corner before running right into Naruto.

"What-"

Tsulika cut herself off and covered her mouth with both hands. That had been the first word she had uttered in about a year. Naruto didn't hear, though, because he was busy apologizing. "I didn't even know you were there, Tsulika! Oh, God, don't kill me for ruining your outfit, I don't like getting pulverized!"

Tsulika looked down and realized that he had been carrying some sort of reddish beverage that was staining her shirt. She got her notebook out and wrote. Naruto winced at every pencil sound. She held it out and he took it nervously.

No worries. I'll be able to get it out. Why do you have three?

He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well, one was for Sakura, one was for myself, and one was for you." Tsulika blinked. "Sorry. The one that spilled all over you was yours... here, take mine," he said, holding it out. Tsulika took it gingerly, still looking at him. He smiled at her pleasantly and strode past her. 'Well... I...' Tsulika didn't know what to think. All she did was take a sip from the cup and started moving again. She hadn't expected that from anyone.

'Naruto's different... in both a good and a bad way.'

. . .

"So you don't know where they are?"

Tsulika shook her head again to answer Yamato's question. He sighed, "Well, they'll be here soon enough. Probably arguing." Tsulika nodded, secretly passing an eye over him. He would be hard to evade, especially with his wood-style.

"Is something the matter?" he asked. She jumped a little. So he had noticed her looking. Interesting. She wrote something about training on her notebook and handed it to him. "Yes. We'll start training soon." She nodded and looked for her teammates again, rubbing her arm. They came around the corner. Naruto looked at the stain and blushed as he realized it looked like he was checking her out.

Tsulika raised an eyebrow. This boy reminded her so much of... him. She watched as they made their way over there. "Teacher's pet," muttered Sakura as they stopped. "Sorry we're late. I-"

"I GUESS I AM GOING TO HAVE TO USE FEAR TO CONTROL YOU, AFTER ALL!"

Naruto yelped and flew backwards. The girl watched with interest at his minor fear. "Do you have to do that? It's scary," the blond boy complained. Tsulika shook her head at the sky, forcing a rare, sudden smile back. She hadn't felt this since he had died. Sai's fist clamped around her wrist and she looked at him, pulling her arm away forcefully. Rule number one around her: no touching.

Sai was looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows, asking about the display of hidden emotion she had just put out. She quickly made sure her face was blank and met his gaze with her own. "Let's get going," said Yamato, starting out the gate. The teens followed him and Naruto once again tried flirting to get Tsulika to talk. 'He's persistent,' she thought as they stopped at around twilight.

"See, Tsulika? You didn't smack me this time. That's called progress," Naruto told her, patting her shoulder. She grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. "Ah! What the hell?" he cried, trying to wiggle free. Then he got the idea. "I get it! I get it! No touching!" She released him and he stumbled forward, still wincing.

"We are now," he said, "back to no progress." Tsulika ignored him as she walked past, but she was once again struck by the similarity. "I didn't harm them physically," Sai told her as she walked past him. She paused, waiting for him to say something else to complete his death wish. He stayed silent and she kept going. Yamato was examining a clearing. "Oh, it's you," he said when he noticed her. "Do you think this area is big enough for a house?"

Tsulika swept her eyes across the area and nodded. "Yeah. I thought so, too. Go and get everyone, won't you?" he asked, smiling. 'Is he trying to pull something?' she asked herself before turning back around. Her teammates (i.e. Naruto and Sai) were fighting again. She didn't know how to get their attention without making a sound, so she decided to go with a physical approach.

She grabbed a fistful of Sakura's hair and dragged her into the clearing. "Tsulika? What're you doing?" Naruto demanded over Sakura's yells. Of course, the girl said nothing as she re-entered the clearing. Yamato looked at the two kunoichi with an air of disapproval. "That's not what I meant," he said as Tsulika released the cursing Sakura, who tried to take a swing at her.

"Calm down, Sakura. She didn't make you bald, or anything," Naruto told her, stepping in front of the white-haired teen. Tsulika touched his shoulder. When he turned around, she shook her head. 'Let me fight my own battles.' He seemed unsure of what to do. Yamato decided that now would be a good time to create their campsite.

Using his wood-style, he created a house. They watched in wonderment as it grew. "Come on in," Yamato called from the roof. Naruto laughed and charged inside, followed by Sakura. Sai and Tsulika followed more slowly. 'He even added stairs,' thought Tsulika upon seeing them. 'Nice touch.' She jogged up the steps and met Sakura. "C'mon," the girl said curtly, apparently not over the hair tug-of-war. It didn't bother Tsulika at all, of course.

They set up their sleeping bags on the floor and Tsulika let her forehead protector out of her hair before putting it in her bag. "So... you and Sai have known each other for awhile," Sakura guessed. Tsulika shrugged her answer. "You know, normal people talk." She took out her notebook and wrote her response on it.

You know, normal people don't stick their noses into my business.

Before the pink-haired kunoichi even opened her mouth, Tsulika was in the hallway. She went down the steps and saw that Yamato was sitting there with a candle in the middle of the room. "Have a seat," he said. She did so and stared into the depths of the small flame.

The rest of the team came pretty quickly after that. They discussed the mission and Tsulika met Sai's eyes as they discussed the role-play training. "Captain Yamato," Sai cut in smoothly, "about what time do you believe the spy will arrive?" Yamato shrugged and Tsulika silently sighed. 'Such a pain. Now I have no way to schedule this.'

"Well, here's what I was thinking for the teams: Sakura, Tsulika, and I on one, Naruto and Sai on the other."

The girl nodded, but Naruto didn't seem as easy to convince. "You're kidding," he said as he glared across the fire at Sai. "I'm not working with him!" Captain Yamato sighed, "It's not a manner of choice." Tsulika bit down in the insides of her cheeks to stop a smile as Naruto put on a childish pout. They stood up and started walking to their rooms. Naruto was still sending glares at Sai, who was smiling nonchalantly.

Sakura was also sending a few dirty looks of her own. Tsulika got ready for bed without rising to the unspoken challenge. That was making Sakura more angry, but that was alright. As the two kunoichi clambered into their sleeping bags, Tsulika turned to the side. 'I wish that I was on a different team,' she thought wistfully. 'I'd be fine if I only saw him once in awhile, but I'm going to be seeing him almost frequently. Damn it.'

The flirting was the worst part. She would stop to do something and he'd be there with, "Hey there, pretty thang. I like how you're hair catches the sunlight." Tsulika had wanted to point out that they were in the shade so badly, but she'd kept quiet. He wanted to hear her talk. That's why he was doing this. 'Maybe,' Tsulika thought, 'I should tell him to shut up, just once.'

She quickly changed opinions, though. 'What am I thinking? I've gone this far without speaking. I'll be able to handle the flattery.' It wasn't like she wanted to talk to him.

Did she?

Tsulika rolled over again and yawned before closing her eyes. Tomorrow, her mission would begin officially.

. . .

Danzo sighed and looked around. According to the microphone he had attached to her secretly, Tsulika had said nothing. He needed her to speak to find out if the experimental chip placed into her body was working or not. It had been stolen from Orochimaru and supposedly made the effects of the training go faster. She hadn't shown emotion since that night, but it still might not work.

Plus, it came with the side-effects. There was the bleaching of the hair and the silence. Danzo still wasn't sure about the second one. He had a feeling that the girl was giving everyone the 'silent treatment'. That's another reason why he needed her to speak. He wished he could monitor her, but that was impossible until she got back to Konoha.

Danzo sighed and leaned back. 'So many things to do, no time to do them.' The door opened and two men stepped through. "Lord Danzo," they said, bowing. "I need you to observe the girl who I've named Tsulika when she gets back to Konoha. I want you to make sure that she doesn't obtain emotions. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Dismissed."

He watched as his loyal members left. 'Time to think about the consequences. If she doesn't have emotions, there won't be any. But if she does...' Danzo shook his head. 'There will be actions taken against her.'

. . .

"You bastard! Do you even know the meaning of the word comrade?"

Tsulika wanted to stop the two boys. They had just gotten done with their disastrous training session and Naruto was getting in a fight with Sai again.

Sai was writing something right now. "Of course." He held up the word comrade. "This is how you write it." The blond scowled and hissed, "You know that's not what I meant!" He pushed Sai away and turned to get his pack. "I'm going to save Sasuke, no matter what I have to do. Even if it means... working with you." Tsulika felt her chest tighten involuntarily as she saw the sorrow in his eyes. They were just like his when he told her she was going to be experimented on.

Grief. Wasn't that it?

Tsulika went to retrieve her pack as Sakura asked Sai about his brother. Her chest already felt like it was about to explode. She didn't think she could handle hearing about his 'illness'. She stood by the bridge and watched the water. "Hey, Tsulika," said a familiar voice. She looked over at Naruto, who had his pack over his shoulder and was looking down. He came to her side and they stood in silence.

He was looking sad. Tsulika hesitated before reaching out and touching his arm. He tensed and turned to look at her in surprise. She moved her hand from his arm to his cheek and rested it there for a little bit before turning away. He caught her wrist before she could walk away. "Tsulika," he said, his voice low. "Are you sure you don't have any emotions? Because to me, it seems like you're burying them."

Tsulika closed her eyes but didn't pull away. "C'mon. We're friends." She moved away from him and thought, 'We aren't friends. We'll never be friends.' Suddenly, Sakura came out. "Are you two ready?" Naruto turned to her and forced a smile onto his face. "Yeah. Let's go!" Yamato came out of the trees with Sai. "Get into positions."

'What?' Tsulika thought, her little display of emotion over. They didn't have time for questions, though. In a few minutes, they were hiding in the woods behind the bridge. Tsulika could feel the anxiety about the mission somewhere inside her, but she swallowed it down.

They watched and waited until the spy showed up. Yamato, disguised, walked out there. Tsulika shifted slightly and saw the spy pull his hood down to reveal Kabuto. Yamato slid out of the disguise as he sliced the costume's head off. He gave the signal and everyone jumped out to land in front of him. Tsulika felt her nervousness increase tenfold as Orochimaru walked out of the woods. "Well, well. We've got quite a crowd here."

He smiled at Naruto next. "Sasuke will make a fine vassal for me. Wouldn't you agree?" Naruto grit his teeth and snarled, "Don't talk about Sasuke like you own him, bastard!" Tsulika could the the nine-tails cloak coming out of him. The sheer power snapped the bridge. Sakura cried out as one of the tails slapped her and sent her flying. "Tsulika!" Sai said, taking out his scroll. Tsulika started on her hand signs and thought, 'Lightning style: Thundercloud Avalanche Jutsu!'

She pointed at the ground beside Yamato and a bolt of lightning struck there, catching him by surprise. He quickly realized what was happening and started to try his wood-style. Tsulika didn't give him the chance and jumped off the side of the bridge, hoping that Sai caught her. He did and flew right past Sakura, who was unconscious. He made his ink bird go up and away from the rest of the team before dropping down to the forest.

Now their mission could begin.

. . .

Alrighty then! My goal is to have at least chapter five up by the end of the weekend!

I didn't like this chapter a lot. I think it was more of a filler.

Reviews are appreciated.


	4. Not Enough

Silence

Chapter four

Hey! You know what? I retract my former statement about chapter three. I reread it when it was on the website and it looked good. Weird, right? I hope you like this one! ^^

~Not Enough~

"Okay. Summon him," Sai said as they landed. Tsulika bit her thumb to get some blood out and did her hand signals. With a poof of smoke, a red fox appeared. "Tsulika," he said into her mind. "It's been awhile." She replied into his mind. "So it has. Deyrian, do you mind doing me a favor?"

"I am a summon, aren't I?"

"There are some people back there from Konoha. They'll be tailing us soon and I want you to slow them down as much as possible. Think you can handle it?"

The fox grinned and said, "Yeah. I've been needing a good mission. Ever since Shin-" Tsulika stamped on his law, making him yelp. "Fine! I won't mention the boy. Shin was his last fake name, though." She grit her teeth and hissed, "Just do it, damn you." He trotted off and they saw the little dot of white on his tail before he vanished.

Sai, who hadn't heard a word of the conversation, asked, "What was that about?" She shook her head and turned to see the nine-tails battling Orochimaru. Her eyes widened and her stomach churned, nearly making her throw up. 'What is he doing? Orochimaru's gonna kill him!' She watched the battle for five minutes until Deyrian shouted into her head, "Tsulika, the man said that he created a clone to watch you guys! Do you want me to fight the clone, or what?"

The thought of Deyrian losing the fight scared her, so she replied, "Absolutely not. Find him and I'll take care of the clone." There was a moment of silence before the fox said, "So you do care. You act like you don't, but you do." She sighed. "I don't. I just want some entertainment for now."

"Right. Because watching a nine-failed demon fox who isn't my ex-mate fighting a mad scientist isn't entertaining enough."

"Fine. You fight him and get yourself made into a fur coat."

That shut the creature up for awhile. When he spoke, it was to let her know where the clone was and was very curt. "Thank you," Tsulika told him, writing a note to Sai. "I expect some sort of food reward for this," he replied. "Go back to spying. I need regular updates."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She followed his instructions and soon found the clone on top of some trees, watching the battle. She slipped a kunai out and flipped up into the tree branches. Once there, she got reay to throw it, but the man wasn't there. 'Damn it. Where the hell did he go?' Suddenly, Deyrian cried, "Behind you!"

She didn't waste time looking. Tsulika dived out of the branches and rolled before coming up in a kneeling position. Yamato- or his clone- stood there, eyes cold and calculating. "Why are you here?" he asked. She didn't answer but drew her katana. "Answer me, Tsulika. You know you can't win this battle." She started the hand signs for her jutsu again, but he wasn't going to allow her to.

'Son of a bitch,' she thought. 'How do I get the odds in my favor?' Yamato was attacking her again, this time with earth-style. Deyrian ran into the clearing and slammed into him, making him lose his balance. "Go, Tsulika! Run! I promise I'll abandon this fight if you scram!" She picked her katana up from the ground and sheathed it before starting her hand signs again.

"You miserable little wretch!" the fox snarled in her mind. I ought to attack you instead of this guy!" She was about to use the jutsu, but there was a gust of wind that blew her off her feet. Yamato's clone also got blown a few feet. Deyrian got thrown across the clearing, right into a tree. The wind stopped as suddenly as it started, and Tsulika wasted no time in picking up the fox and running back to the place where she'd last seen Sai.

Deyrian was out cold and Tsulika cursed herself for not getting away when she should've. She could see parts of his head were bleeding. When she got back into the clearing, Sai was no longer there. 'Damn him! Where'd he go?' she thought, surveying the terrain. When she saw the crater that had been blasted into the ground, she found him.

He was conversing with Orochimaru and Kabuto. Her stomach tightened. She wasn't down there! This would be bad if she got left behind. It would be back into the arena for sure. With Deyrian still in her arms, she sprinted out there. Sai saw her and called, "You should have stayed." She panted and shook her head. "Who's this?" Orochimaru asked. "She's with me. The fox is her summon." Tsulika felt the man's eyes go over her.

He observed her long white hair and his mouth curved into a smile. 'Does he know about the chip?' Tsulika asked herself. She let no emotion show on her face, but it wasn't natural to be looked at like a possible experiment. "Let's go, then," Orochimaru said.

They started running again. Tsulika felt herself looking back every so often. Deep down inside, she knew that she wasn't looking for Yamato. She was looking for Naruto. They came to a river with no sign of the blond, but she still wondered about him as she settled down to clean the fox's wounds. Taking a cloth, she wet it down and pressed it to his head. "You shouldn't have taken him. He'll slow us down," Sai told her. She finished bandaging his head and gently laid him down on the ground before scrawling on her notebook:

I'll take the fox if I want to. What happened between Orochimaru and Naruto?

Sai told her about the fight in a pretty decent amount of time. She stroked Deyrian's fur while she listened. "I believe that Naruto made it away with injuries," Sai concluded, reaching into his pack. Tsulika nodded before shifting her summon more comfortably in her arms and standing. "Are you ready?" Ororchimaru called. Tsulika nodded, forcing back a nervous shudder.

They started off again, but Sai seemed distracted. 'What's wrong with him?' Tsulika asked herself. Sai caught her looking and she turned her attention towards the trees. Suddenly, Kabuto turned with a carving knife in his hand. Tsulika let out a little gasp before realizing that he was carving a replica of Sai. "I won't be doing you," Kabuto explained. "We need to make sure they keep following us. Or, at least, you. We'll make it seem like there was a battle here. You'll have to leave the fox."

She tightened her arms around the animal protectively and Ororchimaru said, "She doesn't need to leave the fox here. Let's get this done and get going." He finished the replica and they started off again. The girl felt scared that Kabuto had almost made her leave behind Deyrian. The fox was her only friend in the world and he had been tied to her since she was twelve.

They made it to the hideout and Kabuto held out his arms for the fox. "Give it to me. I'll put it in your room." Tsulika thought, 'Him,' as she did so. They went inside and Kabuto joined them outside a room. "You're about to meet a prodigy. Play nice," Orochimaru told them.

He opened the door and he said, "Sasuke. I've brought some people from the Leaf. I figured you could talk and reminisce about the place." Sai put on his fake smile. "Hello. It's nice to meet you-"

"Get lost."

There was a moment of silence in which Sai kept smiling. "Some people don't like my smile. I read that smiling is what you're supposed to do when meeting people." Suddenly, Sai got very still. His mouth opened in what seemed to be a soundless cry to Tsulika. She backed away from him, feeling her heart pound adrenaline through her veins. She was feeling pure terror. The genjutsu broke and the boy stumbled away before falling down. He placed a hand over his heart and Sasuke's Sharingan moved over to meet her gaze.

She was in the dark. The air reeked of blood and there was something at her ankles. She looked down and screamed. Shin was there, staring up at her. He wasn't Shin, though; there was a grin on his face that was never-ending and his eyes were crying blood. Terrified, she tried to get away, but he grabbed her ankles and she fell.

Sasuke's gaze left hers and she realized that she had also gone down. Sai was staring at her and she realized that the scream had been heard. She shut her mouth and looked away, still feeling the fear in her stomach. Orochimaru said, "Leave it alone. They've got the idea." Tsulika shivered again, hating the emotion. They were escorted to their rooms by Kabuto. "Here," he said to Tsulika, opening a door for her.

She went inside and he shut the door behind her. Deyrian was in there, and he was awake. "What's wrong?" he growled, stretching and standing. She burst into tears and he gaped at her as she sat down on the bed, still crying. "What the hell, Girlie? You've been different since this mission," he said, leaping up beside her. She wiped her eyes and replied, "I'm sorry. It's just that h-he got me in a genjutsu and I s-saw..." The fox fell silent before leaning over and rubbing his head under her hand.

She stroked his head once before saying, "Thanks for the help. Go back and get some help for those wounds." He bit her hand gently before vanishing. She lay back and stared at the ceiling. after a few minutes, a rat squeezed its way under her door. She looked over and realized that it was one of Sai's ink creatures. It turned into a message that read:

Come to my room soon. We'll begin the mission there.

She tried the door handle and found that Kabuto had left the door unlocked. Maybe her thought that she was going to behave. She stepped out into the hallway and took a second to glance around before moving to the next door and knocking quietly. It didn't open, but Sai's voice whispered through the crack, "I'll be out in a second. Stay put." Tsulika leaned against the door and thought, 'That jerk. He just wants to make me wait.' She sighed and suddenly jerked her head up.

There was a faint sound of footsteps pounding through the halls. She went for her door immediately. She had no idea if it was Orochimaru or Konoha, but she wasn't ready to find out. The footsteps grew louder and louder until they reached her door. Someone knocked on it and she closed her eyes. It was Konoha, and they knew she was in the room. She opened the door a crack. "Come on out, Silent Treatment," Sakura said, cracking her knuckles. Tsulika opened the door completely, keeping her face emotionless.

She held up her hands to show that she wasn't going to fight and swept her eyes over her teammates. She breathed out as she saw Naruto. Yamato said, "Where's Sai?" Tsulika pointed to the door to Sai's room and they all went to the door. Yamato created a key and inserted it into the lock before turning it.

He eased the door open and looked inside. Sai was in there, facing them. "Now," Yamato said, "you two are going to tell us about your mission."

. . .

Tsulika was sitting on the bed, trying to avoid everyone's gazes. Sai was telling them about being tools for Lord Danzo, and she didn't think she could handle looking at anyone. "But you do have emotions!" Sakura said. "Your picture book shows you and your brother." Tsulika blanched. This was the one topic she had been hoping that hadn't brought up.

"That doesn't prove anything. I don't even remember him."

'Lies. All lies.'

Yamato added, "You do remember him. In ROOTS, you kill comrades, right? I think that you killed him. Your own brother." Tsulika's eyes went wide at how accurate his guess was. He was just blaming the wrong person. The girl could feel shivers running up her spine as Sai said, "No! He died of an illness!" She was about to cry or scream or something, but someone sat down next to her.

She looked over to see Naruto. He was looking at her with a questioning gaze. She wanted to bury her face into his chest and cry, but that just didn't seem right. She looked down at her hands instead. He slowly placed his hand over hers and she held her breath. "Did you count him as your brother, too?" he asked in a low voice. "Or... was he something different?"

She closed her eyes, swallowing. "I knew the emotions were there. Tsulika, I need you to tell me something to get you out of this. Please," he said. She shook her head, trying not to cry. Naruto withdrew his hand and stood. She instantly wanted him back. She felt like she was free around him. Like she was a totally different person. Like she could talk to him about anything. The only thing that surprised her more than that was how much she wanted to talk to him.

Suddenly, she felt wood close around her arms. "Sorry about this," Yamato told them. "We're going to have to keep you bound up." They left the hideout in silence. Tsulika couldn't bring herself to meet Sai's gaze and instead sat down and leaned against the rock. A thousand thoughts ran through her head. 'Did the chip not work? Why did I feel those things?' Her head was throbbing, so she tried to ignore the feeling.

"I love you," his voice whispered into her head. She took a deep breath. 'So you did. I loved you, too. Just not enough to give up my life. My pathetic, worthless life.'

. . .

Does Tsulika really believe that her life is pathetic and worthless? Will she ever speak to Naruto?

Review. :P


	5. Friends

Silence

Chapter five

I want to thank you guys! I am really happy with this story so far! Especially raidersfan777 and Sco23 for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Hope you like!

~Friends~

"Even if I get torn to pieces, I'll take Sasuke back to the Leaf once and for all."

Tsulika looked up at him, admiring and hating his determination at the same time. 'He's going to hurt himself if he keeps striving after Sasuke. I don't want to see him hurt.' Suddenly, Kabuto's voice said, "Well, isn't that nice. I expected better from you two, getting caught by Konoha."

Both of the teens were pulled off the ground suddenly. Kabuto freed them from the wood and turned to face the rest of their team. Yamato created a spiral of wood that connected to the side of the rock they were on and Sakura ran up it and punched it. They leapt off and landed on the ground. Kabuto began fighting with them and Tsulika wrote quickly:

We've got to help them! Please?

Sai blinked at the 'please'. Tsulika wasn't polite when it came to those things, but now she was looking at him with big, pleading eyes. Suddenly, he saw the girl who had once loved his brother. Sai stood and contained Kabuto. Everyone seemed shocked that he did so.

"What... What are you doing?" demanded Kabuto. Sai replied, "Being true to Konoha." He looked at Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato. "I'm curious about these 'bonds' and would like to know more about them." After Kabuto was bound up, they headed back into the hideout. Tsulika was feeling extremely grateful to Sai for betraying the mission to help her. She didn't know what had motivated him. Maybe he still thought of her as a friend. Or maybe, it was the fact that they had both known Shin for a long time.

Yamato gathered them into a circle. "We're going to be searching for Sasuke. As for teams, I want Tsulika and Sakura with me. Sai and Naruto will be on the other. If you run into trouble, use some chakra. Start!" Tsulika felt crestfallen that she didn't get to go with the two boys, but she still kept up with Sakura and Yamato. They checked countless doors until Yamato stopped them.

"I just felt Naruto's chakra. We need to find them."

They started back through the halls and made their way to the boy, who was standing and facing away from them. Without Sai. Tsulika froze and backed away, wondering where he had gone. She backed around the corner and leaned against the wall, her heart in her throat. "Look at how both of them are smiling," said Sakura's voice after awhile.

"I know. He really smiled for the first time when he drew it," Naruto told her. Tsulika had a feeling she knew who was smiling. Yamato suddenly gasped, "What's this doing here?" She felt herself freeze up. 'Either he's found the information or the bingo book. Or both.' The man continued. "This is a list of ANBU blacklist targets that Sai's been assigned to assisinate. In other words, it's a bingo book."

"Why are there X's through their faces?"

"That can only mean that those are targets Sai's already killed." Yamato paused before saying, "And look at this." Naruto gasped, "Wait a minute... That's... Sasuke! But what is he doing in here?" Yamato had a pretty accurate guess. "That must mean that Sai and Tsulika's secret mission must be to... eliminate him."

She wanted to get away. She wanted to go somewhere and curl up and hide. "But wait a minute! He said before that he wanted to save Sasuke! And I bet that Tsulika wouldn't hurt him, either! They're helping us! That smile... it was from the bottom o his heart!" Sakura murmured sadly, "But that's just it. What if it was all an act? An act to draw you out."

Tsulika thought about the time they were by the bridge that morning. 'It wasn't all an act.' Yamato said, "Damn. I don't know where Tsulika is, but chances are she's with Sai, and I just felt his chakra. We need to get going." Tsulika started and turned. She had been a fool to wait that long to get going.

She began running through the halls, not knowing where she was going. She turned a corner and saw Sai sitting there. He was doing a hand signal. Suddenly, there was an explosion. Tsulika was thrown into sunlight. There wasn't time for a reaction. She landed with an "oomph". Sai had landed a few feet away from her. She pushed herself up, gasping.

She looked up to see the Uchiha. He had black hair, black eyes, and a nice build. She realized that her braid had come out, leaving her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders. "Tsulika?" Sai asked, seeing her. She stood up shakily and pulled her hair away from her face.

They stood there, looking at the boy. Then Sakura burst into the clearing and grabbed Sai's collar. "Enough already! How many times were you two going to betray us before you-"

"Sakura."

The girl froze and slowly turned to face upwards. "S-Sasuke," she whispered. "It's you..." Tsulika looked over to see Naruto burst into the clearing. She walked forward until she was beside Sai. "Naruto," Sasuke said. "You came, too. I assume... Kakashi's here?" Yamato joined them. "Unfortunately, Kakashi couldn't make it, so I'm here in his place. Team Kakashi has come to escort you back to Konoha."

He slid his gaze over them. "Team Kakashi..." Sai reached up and drew his tanto. "I knew it!" Sakura cried. "Sai, don't!" Sasuke said, "That guy is my replacement? He was saying something about wanting to protect the bond between Naruto and me." Sakura started. "But I thought-"

"It's true. Our secret mission was to find and eliminate Sasuke. But I'm through following orders. From now on, I think for myself." Tsulika nodded in agreement, determined to do the right thing. "Naruto. I think that you can help me remember those old emotions. Bring back things that were once important to me." He turned his attention to the Uchiha.

"I don't know much about you, Sasuke, but I do know that Naruto and Sakura would give up just about everything to bring you back. You share a bond of friendship that I may not understand clearly, but you, Sasuke! You must understand!"

Sasuke nodded. "I did understand. And that's why I severed them." Everyone started and Sasuke said, "Having too many ties in this world only brings weakness. I only have one bond now, between my older brother and I. It's the bond of hatred." Naruto spoke up for the first time. "If that's true... If that's true, then why didn't you kill me that day? Wouldn't that have done the trick, Sasuke?"

He replied, "I let you live on a passing whim, nothing more." They stood in silence until Sasuke suddenly vanished from his spot. Sai and Tsulika turned in unison to see him by Naruto. Sakura had turned, too. "How'd he do that?" The Uchiha drew his sword. Everyone watched as he swung it around. Sai burst forward and caught his wrist.

"The block you selected... was the correct one."

Sasuke flipped the two boys over as Yamato shot some wood at him. "Chidori scream!" he cried. The two boys were electrocuted and the wood stopped by the lightning. Tsulika drew her katana and he blocked her swing at him. That's when she leapt back and bit her thumb. 'Summoning jutsu!' Deyrian appeared with a poof of smoke. "What's up?" he asked her mentally.

"Uh..."

"Oh."

He got to work on distracting Sasuke and Tsulika waited for the right moment. She wasn't expecting him to pick the fox up and throw him at her. His ribs connected with her skull. All she remembered was Deyrian's sharp yelp before she sank into unconsciousness.

. . .

"Wake up."

Tsulika opened her eyes and sat up, successfully bumping her forehead into Naruto's nose. "Ow! Dammit!" he cried, wrinkling his nose. She opened her mouth to apologize, but she snapped it shut immediately. Sakura was covering her smile with her hand and Yamato was shaking his head exasperatedly. Sai had no emotion showing on his face.

She looked around and Sai said to answer her unspoken question, "We didn't get Sasuke. You had a concussion and Sakura wouldn't let us wake you up. I had to carry you." She nodded her thanks/apology and he nodded. Naruto grumbled, "I think you gave me a nose concussion." She punched his arm lightly and he grinned. "Ow."

She forced back a laugh. "Well, I think you'll be fine. Go and get some water," Sakura said. Tsulika smiled mentally. 'Yeah, you'll be alright. Go on and work. Thanks, Sakura,' she thought as she rose. She found a river a short distance away and knelt down to get some water. A twig snapped and she looked up to see Sai. "I just wanted to show you something," he said, sitting down beside her. She waited as he pulled out his sketchbook.

She blinked in surprise as he opened it. She'd seen him draw in it before but had never seen what's inside. He stopped at the middle and held out the painting. She stared at it for a minute before nodding and turning away. "You do remember him, don't you? And you remember that emotion that you shared with him?" She wrote in the dirt using a stick:

How could I forget?

He sighed. "I wish you'd talk to me. You talked before." She shook her head and Sai told her, "I'm going to make an effort to become friends with people, starting with you." He held out his hand. "Friends?" She hesitated before taking his hand and shaking it. 'Friends.'

When she got back to the house, Sakura and Yamato had already turned in. Sai headed upstairs and Tsulika Looked over to see Naruto. "Oh, hey," he said. "I'm not tired. In fact, I'm pumped! Wanna spar?" Tsulika raised an eyebrow and he laughed. "Alright, alright. Just kidding." She pulled him outside and he said, "Oh! That was a yes."

They sparred for awhile until they felt tired. "You're pretty good," Naruto complemented her as they sat down by a tree. She nodded to thank him. "You know something, Tsulika? Sakura thinks that your silence is annoying, but I like it. It makes you different. Like me, huh?" She blinked.

"When I found out I was the nine-tails, I wasn't thrilled, but that was also the night I graduated from the ninja academy, though, so it evened out." He laughed. "See? I can say anything and I don't have to worry about you interrupting me! Isn't that awesome?" He grinned. "Plus, I can flirt with you, too."

She slapped a hand over his mouth and he laughed, taking her wrist. "You're so funny," he told her. She shrugged in mock modesty and he snorted, "You have a sense of humor, too." His fingers brushed her cheekbone and she blushed. Naruto lifted his hand away, blushing also. "Sorry. I sorta... um... you know..." She shrugged it off.

They stayed there talking for a long time. Well, Teulika listened as Naruto told her about his family and his team. "Everyone had something to say about him when he left. They called him 'traitor' and 'a shame'. All I wanted to do was get him back for good." Naruto fell silent for a little while and Tsulika leaned over and placed her head onto his shoulder. He tensed before slowly relaxing. "Um..." He didn't continue on because she had already fallen asleep.

He gently slid an arm around her so that she wouldn't slid. "Wow. I wasn't expecting this from you," he whispered to the sleeping teenage girl. He continued to tell her about things, but before he knew it, he had also fallen asleep next to her. Sai looked at them from the boy's balcony. 'He reminds you of him, doesn't he, Tsulika? You're not alone. He acts a lot like my brother.' He turned to go back inside.

'I sincerely wish you good luck. ROOTS is never going to allow this.'

. . .

Do-do-do-doooooooooooooooo

Review, oo-oo-ooooooooooooo


	6. Dating

Silence

Chapter six

Hey! If you need help understanding something, look in chapter two. It'll explain the eyes.

Er... You'll see what I mean. -.-'

~Dating~

"Wake up, you two crazy lovebirds!"

Tsulika and Naruto started awake at the same time. They suddenly realized that they were sleeping next to each other, that his arm was around her, and that their faces were close enough that if one of them shifted slightly, then...

They pushed away from each other, Naruto blushing red. "I didn't peg you as a lover, Tsulika. I thought you were more of a fighter. Apparently not around Naruto, though," Sakura said with a satisfied smirk. "What? Uh, no. We were just... talking," Naruto explained lamely.

"Talking with your mouths together?"

"Gross! No! I wouldn't kiss her if my other option was dying!"

Sai was watching her. Tsulika could feel it. 'He's going to tell Lord Danzo. I'm going to go back there,' she thought before standing up. "Shit... Tsulika? I didn't mean to upset you," Naruto said. "Sorry!" She didn't answer, like they knew she wouldn't. If she had been in a situation when she did speak, should would've assured him that his statement had nothing to do with her emotions.

'Hormones. Just hormones. Everyone has them. Sai won't rat me out. We're friends now. Just hormones...'

She got ready quickly and without any indication that anything had happened the night before. She braided her hair with expert percision and went down the stairs. Naruto had also gotten ready and was looking extremely guilty. Sakura was also looking a little guilty. Yamato looked like he was going to go crazy. Tsulika strode past them casually, keeping her gaze forward and blank. They started on their way again.

Naruto didn't approach her the whole way back to Konoha. Tsulika felt like maybe she should go to him, but what would she do? Naruto was also having troubles. 'Just go apologize! You didn't really mean it! She'll understand! Won't she?' He sighed. 'If she understood, she would've come to me.'

The two didn't even make eye contact until they got back to Konoha. When the got to the Hokage's office, Naruto explained what had happened. "I see," Tsunade sighed. "And?" Naruto smiled. "We're not giving up, no matter what!" Tsulika thought, 'I'm with you.'

The Hokage gave them instructions to go home and wait. The left in good spirits. Naruto asked Sakura to go out for a date and she refused. They argued back and forth until Sakura said, "Go on a date by yourself!" Naruto replied, "If you won't go with me, I'll take Tsulika! Hey, Tsulika, you'd go on a date with me, wouldn't you?" They turned to look at her.

She hesitated before shrugging. "Aha! See? Tsulika likes me," Naruto told Sakura smugly, dropping beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She pushed him into the fence and crossed her arms over her chest. "Right, right. No touching," he said with a lazy grin. Tsulika fought the urge to roll her eyes as they came to the place where they would go home. Naruto waved and said to Tsulika, "Pick you up at seven?"

She started, but he and Sakura had already jumped away. Sai was in the middle of returning their wave. "Let's go," he said, dropping his hand. She turned and followed him. Their apartments were right next to each other, so the walk gave them plenty of time to talk. They didn't use it, though. "See you later, Tsulika," Sai said as he turned the doorknob to his flat. She waved and turned around, facing the door. 'Naruto's picking me up at seven. I suppose I'd better get ready,' she thought before disappearing into the door.

Only when she was in the apartment did the statement hit home. 'Naruto's picking me up at seven! For a date!' She jammed her knuckles into her mouth to stop the joyful outburst that welled up inside her. She took some time to take a shower and try and figure out a way to make her hair look different. She eventually went back to the braid. There was a knock on her door and she answered it. Sai stood out there. "We're wanted by Lord Danzo. Come on." She felt her heart speed up and she checked the time. It was 6:45. She bit her lip and decided to go with Sai.

She led him at a run. "Why are we going this fast?" Sai asked. She didn't reply as they entered the ROOTS meeting place. Tsulika took a moment to smooth her hair down and straighten up. Sai was staring at her. "This wouldn't possibly have anything to do with Naruto's date, would it?" She shook her head quickly and they walked toward the middle of the area before kneeling. "I don't believe either of you have failed a mission before. It's rather unlike you," Lord Danzo told them.

There was a pause until he said, "And Tsulika. This might just put you back into a position in which you'll have to fight." She felt her stomach clench up and felt like she might get sick. "Sir, if we may make a request," Sai said. "A request?" the man asked.

"Yes. We'd like to stay with team Kakashi and keep these names a little longer."

Tsulika looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was smiling at Danzo. "Fine," the man said, his gaze sliding over to Tsulika. "But be forewarned: emotions breed nothing but hatred, and hatred breeds not but conflict." It was directed at her. She bit her tongue as he walked away. 'Hatred is a form of an emotion,' she thought, 'but if there is hatred, there is love. And love... is an emotion worth feeling.'

She glanced over at Sai and they stood up. "I just saved your ass," he told her. She knew he had. By requesting they stay in Konoha, he had ensured her a safe place to reside. She smiled at him instead of nodding, to show that she really appreciated the gesture. "It's almost seven," Sai told her. "You might want to get going." She took off, running at full speed into the village.

She made it to the apartment in a short amount of time before running right into Naruto. They lost their balance and Tsulika felt a liquid creeping up her ribs. 'He didn't touch the spot, did he?' she thought, sitting up and look down at herself. It turned out to be water and she sighed in relief. "Um, Tsulika?"

Naruto was blushing as red as one could be. The reason was because she was straddling his lap. She leapt off of him and felt a blush start on her cheeks. "Okay. Let's agree to act like that scene never happened," Naruto said. She nodded in agreement.

"Here. I got you some flowers."

She accepted them and they started back down the steps, nearly running into Sai. "It's a little slick up there. Nothing happened," Naruto said. Sai blinked and Tsulika covered her mouth with her hand. As they exited, Naruto held out his arm. Tsulika looked at it for a long time before slipping her arm through his. "I know what you're thinking. How could an average woman like you get such a hot man like me to go out with you?" She waited. "The answer is simple, my dear. Your nose."

A raised eyebrow.

"You see, your nose is below your eyes. Just where it should be. And then your mouth is like, right there. I dunno about your eyes, though. They seem a little off, you know?" She had gotten her notebook out and now wrote:

You're a little bit off.

"Ah!" he said, his voice high-pitched and girly. "That was mean! How dare you insult-" he took his head in his hands- "my perfect sanity? I am not a psycho! I am a hot man looking for a little loving! I thought you were different, but instead, you one crazy-ass bitch!" She punched his stomach playfully and he laughed. "Nah, I'm just kidding. If anything, I should be lucky you accepted." She scribbled:

I didn't accept. You said 'Pick you up at seven' and left.

"I asked you and then answered for you," he replied. "There's a difference. Plus, you're here, right?" She shrugged and leaned against him the rest of the way to Ichiraku's. "Could you hook me and my lovely girlfriend up with some ramen?" She straightened up and shot him a look. "And when I said girlfriend, I meant my friend who was a girl. Yeah, we aren't dating. Just like, on a date. As friends."

Naruto ordered their bowls and Tsulika watched as the were made. "You'll love it here. They have the best ramen ever!" Their bowls were placed in front of them and Tsulika took some chopsticks. She took some noodles and put them in her mouth before biting of the excess and chewing. Naruto was right; they were good. "No, no, no," said Naruto. "Slurp them up. It's fun that way!"

She shook her head and he pleaded with her. "Come on! I'll keep on describing your nose!" She took the bowl in her hands and slurped up some noodles. "That's how you do it!" Naruto cheered, waving his chopsticks around in the air.

She smiled and did it again. He laughed and clapped until she finished her bowl. "Okay, I saved my broth for a race! Let's see who can drink theirs the fastest!" She lifted the bowl to her lips and they gulped it down. She didn't come close to beating him. "Better luck next time," he said, smirking.

They paid and wandered through the streets. "Hey, Tsulika," Naruto said after awhile, "have you ever kissed anyone?" She flinched before nodding. "Oh. Me, too. You wanna know who?" She shrugged, feeling a little envious of the girl. "Sasuke."

Of the guy.

She covered her mouth with her hand, smiling. "It wasn't on purpose!" She rolled her eyes and he groaned. "I'm serious! I was pushed!" Tsulika wrote something down and threw the paper at him before bumping into the boy forcefully. He grunted and read the message.

I was pushed.

He threw the paper down and ran at her. She started and ran away from him, forcing down the sudden urge to laugh. Naruto caught up with her by the base of the mountain. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laughing. She clutched at his arm as he dipped her, trying desperately not to laugh. He pulled her back up and she was suddenly staring right into his eyes. "Tsulika... I... um..." he seemed at a loss for words as the space between their lips began to close.

"Awwww," said a female voice. Tsulika jumped away from him and turned to see a blond in purple. "Who's the new girl, Naruto? A girlfriend?" she asked. "Nah, Ino. I was just... Looking for her nose. Oh, there it is," he said, touching her nose. She turned away from him, blushing.

"Why hasn't she said anything yet?" Ino asked. "She doesn't talk. It's a personal thing." She smiled devilishly. "Right. You two kids have fun. But not too much fun. There's already enough kids running around here." Tsulika Covered her face with her hands, unsure of what to make of Ino. "Sorry," Naruto said. She peeked and realized that he was holding his hand out for her. She looked around before taking it.

They walked through the streets, not talking now. "Hey, I had a great time tonight," Naruto told her. She nodded to tell him, "Me, too." He smiled and said quietly, "I'm really glad we're friends. You're a fun girl to just hang around with, you know?" He pushed some hair behind her ear and rested his palm against her cheek. She held it there, taking comfort from his touch. He seemed surprised until she dropped her hand, taking his with it.

Then she went into her apartment. Before she could close the door, Naruto said, "Same time tomorrow?" She paused and opened the door before grinning and nodding. "Nice smile!" he called before the door closed. He turned and leaned against the door. 'My new friend is a fine girl who doesn't speak but instead emotes.' He grinned. 'I could learn to live with that.'

. . .

Tsulika felt happy when she was with Naruto. That was the only way she could describe that emotion. He made her want to laugh. She tied her braid, smiling. It was twilight, a few days after their date. "Sakura thinks that your silence is annoying, but I like it. It makes you different, like me."

She looked at herself in the mirror. The girl who had once been so emotionless was gone. In her place stood a smiling young woman, ready to meet her best friend so that he could take her to a festival Konoha was holding that night. Everyone was invited and would be wearing kimonos for the occasion. Sakura had dragged her shopping with Ino, Hinata, and Ten-Ten a few days earlier. Thankfully, Ino was too busy arguing with Sakura and expressing her opinion on the colors to say anything about the little scene she had seen.

"This is so totally your color," Sakura had said to her as she held out a decorative white one with designs in a silvery grey. "That's the one," Ino agreed, winking at her purposefully.

Tsulika looked at herself in her mirror and twirled around, trying to see if Naruto would truly like it. There was a knock on the door and she answered it to see Naruto. "Hey, there, pretty- WHOA! Damn, you look amazing!" She blushed and he grinned, happy he had gained that. "C'mon! We're gonna have so much fun!"

They walked to the festival. He was wearing a black and orange kimono and grinning. "There's rides and food and games and food! And it's free!" She smiled before pausing. There was someone watching her. Tsulika could've sworn that something had moved on the rooftop. Naruto hadn't noticed a thing. He was already fifteen feet ahead, still yapping.

She jogged to catch up with him and pretty soon they were at the festival. "There's Sakura! Gotta go!" He started off but then turned back around. "Meet me at the ramen booth in an hour! You've been practicing, right?" A smile formed on her lips and she nodded. "Alright! See you in an hour!"

Tsulika wandered for a long time before seeing a mask shop. There were wolves, peacocks, dragons, and all kinds of animal masks for sale. She looked over them until she saw a fox one. 'It looks like my mask for ROOTS,' she thought as she reached over and took it off the peg. "You're a fox person," said the man selling the masks. Tsulika nodded. "Not many people want those masks anymore. They call foxes sneaky and cold."

He laughed and slapped his knee. "It's not true, though. I once saw a fox get shot for his mate. My father made that mask for me after I saw it. No one wants it and I can't keep up with all the other masks to give this one the care it needs." Tsulika pulled out some money and he pushed it away. "Keep it. And always remember what the fox did for his mate. Love. It'll make you do crazy things."

She smiled at him and inclined her head to show that she was grateful. She wandered a bit more, but no other carts had something that caught her eye. Suddenly, someone caught her wrist. "We need to talk," Sai told her, dragging her towards the exit. She pulled her wrist away and walked by herself, putting her nose up in the air. He got her Ito a dark alleyway and she turned to him, waiting.

Sai's mouth curved into a gruesome smile. "Get her." Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second as Sai turned into a man and two ROOTS members leapt down and pressed her against the building wall. She punched one in the face so that he released her and sent the other one flying with two well-placed kicks. The third man grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall.

She looked down into his eyes and realized that they were silver and purple. She screamed, but the sound was muffled by his fingers. His hip was pressing her against the wall. "Look here. She's crying," he said, grinning. "Let's just kill her," the other man said, coughing. The third ROOTS member stood up and said, "Sorry, Tsulika. Rules are rules, and breaking them will have consequences."

Those terrible purple and silver eyes met hers once more as he cut off her oxygen flow.

. . .

CLIFFHANGER!

Review.


	7. Faults

Silence

Chapter seven

Hey! Alright now, thanks to skeevies and raidersfan777 for the reviews, as always. Hope you like this one!

~Faults~

"Hey," Naruto said, sitting down next to Sai with a concerned look on his face. "What's up? You never look down after coming back from eating ramen," Sakura said playfully. "I didn't eat. Tsulika didn't show up," he said. "You didn't eat?" gasped the kunoichi, shocked. "Dammit, Sakura! I'm worried about her! What if she got into some sort of trouble?"

She blinked and said, "Calm down. She's probably just running a little late." Naruto stood and left, hating himself for being such an idiot. He decided to go home. The night had not been going as planned. First, Sakura had flatly refused his offer to take her out on a date. He had also been pick-pocketed and the line for the ramen place had been crazy long.

He glanced into an alleyway as he was passing by. There was some guy and his girl making out in it. He averted his eyes and kept going before stopping short. The girl had long white hair in a braid, and she wasn't kissing the guy.

She was being strangled by him.

He went back and shouted, "Hey! What the hell are you doing to her? Get away, you bastard!" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, enraging him. She needed his help, and he was damn well going to give it to her. He placed his hands together to create a shadow clone.

Naruto made his signature jutsu. "Rasengun!" he cried, bursting forward. The man let the girl drop to the ground and two other people attacked from the sides. Naruto quickly made some more shadow clones and they fought the others. Tsulika pushed herself up, gasping in breaths. Slowly, she drew a kunai and waited before throwing it into one of the men's backs. He collapsed on his knees, coughing up blood.

She did the same to the other ROOTS member and he swayed before falling over. The man who killed her mother was the only one left alive. He fled, obviously terrified that he would lose his life. Tsulika tried to get up and go after him, but a sudden burst of pain stopped her. She placed a hand to her ribs. It came away red.

"Tsulika!" Naruto shouted, bending down next to her and laying her down on her back. Her bottom lip quivered as he undid the kimono and slid her undershirt up. "There isn't a cut! What's happening?" he asked, looking at her. She trailed her fingers across her ribs and he pushed the shirt up more and gasped.

There was a hole in her ribs as big as his thumb. "What happened?" he whispered. She coughed some more and reached for her pack. He saw her and got it. "What do you need, Tsulika?" Her lips moved and she choked out one word.

"Syringe."

He dug around in there until he found the needle at the bottom. He took the protective case off and asked, "Where do I inject?" She pointed to a spot on her neck and he stabbed the needle in before letting the medicine flow into her system.

Tsulika relaxed, knowing that the medicine would heal her. She pulled her undershirt down and redid her kimono before standing up. The two ROOTS member's bodies were long gone. She smiled at Naruto and started to leave. He gaped at her before standing up.

"Damn you, Tsulika! It's just like you to leave me here with no explanation! Just like when I asked you about Sai's brother!" He was mad now, angry at the night, at the fight, at the people who tried to kill Tsulika. "Sai says that he died of a disease, but you know what I think? I think you killed him!"

There was a long silence before Naruto said, "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it." She turned to look at him. There were tears spilling out of her eyes. "Oh, God," he said quietly. "I didn't... I thought... You..." Tsulika hid her face, bottom lip quivering as she thought about that night. Naruto came up beside her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you were forced to..."

He fell silent and instead hugged her, pushing her head against his chest. She pulled him closer and shivered, hating herself for revealing her weakness. But as Naruto began murmuring things into her ear, those thoughts vanished. His voice felt so soothing to her aching head. They began swaying to an imaginary melody. Then she pulled away, feeling a warmth in her chest that promised trouble.

Naruto held out his hand. "I'm not going to let you sleep alone. Come back to my apartment. You'll be safe there." She nodded and followed him to his place. "Okay, Tsulika. Here's the kitchen, and there's the bedroom, and we have a bathroom, and- my personal favorite- the balchony! Make yourself at home," he said.

She sat down on the bed, watching as he picked up some clothes and garbage. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was going to have company," he apologized. Tsulika followed him with her eyes as he went into the kitchen. He opened a box of instant ramen and poured it onto the stove.

She watched as he dumped the noodles and flavoring in. He came back out five minutes later with two bowls. "I figured you might be hungry," he explained. They ate in silence and finished with nothing but a satisfied sigh from Naruto. "I'll take your bowl." She handed it to him and he put it in the sink. "I'm gonna go find Sakura. We'll find out if you need a hospital."

Tsulika blinked and started to panic. She didn't want a medical ninja. She wanted Naruto to stay right there in that room with her. "Naruto!" she yelled before she even knew she was going to speak. He froze and turned to look at her, eyes wide with shock. "D-Did you just s-speak?" he stammered.

"Yes. I don't want a medical-nin."

He stared at her for a full minute before saying, "Um, alright." She lay down and stared at the ceiling. "You're right. About Sai's brother." He sat down before kicking back next to her. "How'd it happen?" he asked. "We... We fell in love. We decided to run away with Sai. That night, he got caught. I did, too. We were forced to turn against each other, and he let me win." Tears continued to pour from her eyes.

"I feel like it's my fault for not letting him take my life instead. I hate what I did to him and I know he hates me now. My life is so worthless! I don't even deserve to have any of the things I do have! I just want to... to..."

Naruto suggested quietly, "Scream?"

She lowered her hands from her face and looked at him. "Scream... Yes. I want to scream." He shrugged. "Do it." Tsulika shook her head. "No. I won't scream." Naruto said to her quietly, "I'm sure that he doesn't hate you. He let you win. And truthfully, I'm glad that you're alive. I wouldn't have met you otherwise."

She looked into his blue eyes before leaning her head against his chest. "Thank you, Naruto." He hugged her. "You're welcome. Thank you, too." Tsulika asked, "For what?" He replied, "For letting me hear your voice first. It makes me feel like I'm special." She smiled brightly. 'You are special,' she thought as his body relaxed into hers. 'You're the most special person in the world to me.'

. . .

The next day, they met up with Sakura and Sai at Ichiraku's. "Hey, Tsulika! You made your way here. Where'd you go last night?" Sakura asked brightly. "She was... busy. Why are you in such a good mood?" Naruto asked. Sakura turned to Tsulika instead. "You know that boy Ino and I were arguing about?" Tsulika nodded. "He asked me out last night."

There was a moment of silence before Tsulika nodded. Naruto wasn't even paying attention. He was swirling his ice around in his cup and staring into it. "Hello? Naruto? I've got a date with someone," she said. He jumped. "Oh. That's nice." Her jaw dropped to the floor. "And you're not going to challenge him or try to convince me not to go?"

He shrugged. "Uh, no. I mean, it's great and all. Do you not want to go?" She asked, "Who are you and what have you done with Naruto?" He replied, "Nothing's been done with me. I just don't really want to stop you." There was silence as Sakura looked between Tsulika and Naruto before making a heart with her fingers. The girl blushed and shook her head.

Sai felt his eyes narrow. 'She is gaining emotions rapidly. I wonder...' He cleared his throat and asked, "How well have you gotten to know each other?" Naruto understood his question first. "Shut up, Sai! We're friends!" he yelled, pointing at the other boy accusingly. People stopped to stare and Tsulika thought she was going to die right there. "Ohhhh, I see," Sakura said with a teasing smirk. "What?" Naruto demanded.

"You like her, but she doesn't like you back. No, in fact, you love her."

"I... I..."

Tsulika felt herself smile at the boy's stammering. Sai watched her, not sure what to think of this newly found emotion. He wanted to have emotions she had. Part of him disliked her for having those feelings. She suddenly looked up and meet his unwavering gaze. They stared for awhile before Tsulika looked away. Naruto watched her walk out and said, "Oh, damn! Wait up, Tsulika!"

He followed her into the street. "He likes her," Sakura said with a smirk. 'And she likes him back,' Sai added in his mind.

. . .

"I'm totally gonna beat you this time!"

"Yeah, right, Tsulika!"

They were eating ramen by the bowl at Naruto's apartment. He beat her again. "See? You can't touch the king," he told her. She replied by lightly smacking his cheek. "Hey, Tsulika? What are we?"

"Humans."

"No, really? You don't say! What I meant was, our relationship status."

She blinked. "What?" He replied with a quick, "Nothing!" Tsulika smiled and leaned back. "If you're asking what I feel about you, then I really, really like you. Now you." The boy blushed and said, "Now me what?" She said, "Tell me what you think of me."

"Damn," the boy muttered. "I kinda... sorta... like you." She raised an eyebrow and he added with a nervous laugh, "Okay, really like you." He reached over and she slipped her hand into his. "But... I don't like you enough to not to do this!" She blinked and tried to make sense of this statement as he pulled her onto the floor next to him and pulled her into a headlock.

"Let go of me!" she said, yanking his arm away from her head and twisting it behind his back. "Ow! Ow! You win!" She released him with a smirk and pulled herself back onto the bed. He sat down next to her and five minutes later, they were lying down and talking again. "Can I say something?" Tsulika asked him after awhile. "Well, we're in bed together. Say whatever you want," he replied. She pushed him. "I'm serious!"

Then she rolled over and said, "I'm scared of what Sai's going to do when he finds out." Naruto was silent for a little while until he said, "Sai doesn't need to know."

"Yeah... but... it seems wrong to not tell him. It's been haunting me since that night."

He patted her shoulder. "Let's make a deal, then. You and I will tell him together. Then, if he attacks, he'll have to go through me first." Tsulika sighed. "So, basically, I'm screwed either way." He laughed. "That's not nice," Naruto told her when he was done. "I'm not nice," she replied. "You're nice to me. Anything you'd like to confess?" he asked with a sly grin.

"I ought to smack you silly."

Naruto grinned and reached behind her. "What are you doing?" she asked as his fingers went to her hair. "I want to see what your hair looks like down. Sue me." Tsulika allowed him to let her hair down and pull it out of the braid. "You should leave your hair down. I like it that way." Tsulika told him, "It's less of a hassle." She looked over at the window and suddenly sat straight up. There was a ROOTS member out there, waiting on the rooftop.

"What?" Naruto asked, sitting up and turning to look. The ninja vanished suddenly, but Tsulika knew what they had been trying to say. "I've got to go," she said, standing and quickly re-braiding her hair. "Tsulika..." She was already at the door, her stomach churning unpleasantly. He caught her shoulder. "Take me with you." Silence floated around them until she shook her head and kissed his cheek once before leaving.

He felt a blush rise to his face. Then he grinned and closed the door, feeling very happy all of a sudden.

Tsulika, who was walking down the hall, had a very different emotion. She was scared.

Danzo wanted to see her, and it probably wouldn't be a pleasant meeting.

. . .

I've got it up! I hope you liked and review!


	8. Everything Has Changed

Silence

Chapter eight

Hey! This is a huge chapter in the story, and probably one you wouldn't want to miss.

~Everything Has Changed~

Tsulika knelt as she saw Danzo. He said, "I see you're still silent as always." She bit the inside of her cheek but didn't answer. "Silence... it's an odd concept, isn't it? It says nothing, but yet is says everything," he continued. His eyes searched her. The microphone had finally picked up her voice, and what he had heard didn't please him at all. "I've heard you talking," he murmured.

She tensed up extremely quickly. "You can speak. Why don't you talk to me?" She was starting to feel a chill creeping up her spine. "I do realize that you've harbored emotions ever since your attempted escape. Can you guess what my job is?" There was stubbornly no reply. He walked forward, knelt beside the girl, grabbed her chin, and forced her head up. "My job is to stamp out those emotions," Danzo told her in a voice that was full of ice.

Tsulika made a huge mistake after that. She took his wrist and pulled his fingers off of her chin before standing and turning around. "Get back here, now!" It wasn't often that Danzo raised his voice; he didn't need to, until now. "I'll... I'll send you right back into that arena!" She paused for a split second before starting to walk again.

Danzo wasn't sure how to deal with this. No one had ever disobeyed him like this. "I'll get the nine-tails." That made her stop completely. A shiver ran through her body. 'Did he just threaten to destroy my best friend?' He nodded, finally back into control. "There we go. Come on back here and-"

He was cut off by the katana blade that sliced an inch away from his face. Tsulika was staring at the man who'd fed her, clothed her, and even housed her for most of her life with pure loathing. She hated him for making her kill over and over. She hated him for taking away the boy she loved. And most of all, she hated him for threatening Naruto.

Danzo saw that and so did the two ROOTS members who were in the area. In unison, they dropped down and pulled the girl back onto her knees. "What do you want us to do with her?" asked one of the men. "Take her up and let her go. She'll get what's coming to her." Tsulika spat at him and the other member, this one a woman, punched her so hard she saw stars.

They dragged her to her feet and forced her to practically run to the exit. "Count yourself lucky Lord Danzo spared your life, whore," the woman told her. Tsulika left and started through Konoha. Some drunk men wolf-whistled at her, but she ignored them. She had a place she was going.

When she got to her destination, she pounded on the door. Sai appeared a minute late, looking like he had just woken up. "Tsulika. What're you going here?" he asked. She responded by punching him in the face. That woke him up pretty quickly. "What-" He didn't have time to react as she tackled him, drawing her katana and placing it to his neck. "What the hell are you trying to pull over?" she hissed, eyes glowering. He was too surprised to answer right away. "I don't know what you mean."

"You very fucking well know!"

"Explain it."

Her eyelid twitched. "You have another secret mission. You're going to kill Naruto. That has to be it." He blinked and said, "Kill Naruto? What are you talking about? I haven't gotten a mission." She blinked and asked, "So you really aren't supposed to kill him?"

"No."

Tsulika stood up quickly and sheathed her katana. "I'm sorry," she apologized, holding out her hand so she could help him to his feet. "It's fine," he replied, taking it and rising. She turned away and he caught her shoulder. "How do you feel about Naruto?"

She turned to look at him. "It doesn't matter. I just don't want to see someone I care about get hurt again." Sai allowed her to leave, wondering about her statement. 'Again... Did she see my brother before he died?'

. . .

Tsulika stayed home the next day, tired because of her nightly adventures. She hadn't spent a lot of time in her apartment because most of it was spent with Naruto. She wanted to see him, but it probably wouldn't be smart.

Knock, knock.

She went to the door and answered it to see a familiar blond boy. "Naruto," she sighed in relief before he opened the door and wrapped his arms around her. "I thought you'd been killed," he whispered as she held him back. "If you had, I don't think that it would've been pretty." She tensed and pulled back, holding his face in her hands.

"Naruto, promise me that whatever happens, you won't let the fox out."

"What?"

"I mean it. You can't let him loose. It doesn't matter if I die right in front of you, you need to overpower the urge."

He blinked and said, "Tsulika, you're scaring me. I feel like I'm never going to see you again or something. Am I?" She smiled and replied, "Of course you will. I just need to hear you promise me." He searched her eyes before saying, "I promise. Now promise me one thing." She asked, "What's that?"

"That you'll stay alive as long as I do. Maybe even longer."

She closed her eyes. "I can't. It's not my choice when I die." He whispered into her ear, "You'll at least try to stay alive, right?" She nodded. "Yeah. I'll definitely try." Their eyes met and before she knew it, he had kissed her. She stayed put for a second before pulling away and placing her fingertips to her lips. "Sorry! I just... I'm sorry!" he apologized, looking embarrassed and regretful at the same time.

"Shut up," she said before pulling him into another kiss, this one longer. Tsulika relished the feel of his lips on hers. They kissed as if they had done it forever. When they broke it, they were both in need of air. They didn't talk for a little while. There wasn't a need for words. Tsulika spoke first.

"I kinda enjoyed that."

"I enjoyed it a lot more than 'kinda'."

She laughed, flicking his forehead as she did so. "You're terrible," the white-haired girl said before giving him another short kiss. He smiled and replied, "I know. You do agree with me, don't you?" She playfully shook her head. "No, I only sorta liked it." Naruto laughed, "Well, I'm going to change your mind!" Then he laid his lips against hers again.

She pushed him away, laughing again. "I'd better get going. See you later, Baby," Naruto told her. "See you. But never call me 'Baby' again," Tsulika replied. He grinned and left, shutting the door behind him. A second later, there was a loud cheer from the hall. She smiled. This feeling was so different from what she felt for ROOTS. Tsulika sank slowly down to the floor as that thought hit her mind.

'I'm such an idiot. I should've pushed him away first thing.'

She knew that she wouldn't have been able to. The kissing was one thing, but there was something about the boy that made her feel like Shin was with her again. She flinched before brushing through her hair again for no reason. Tsulika forced herself to think optimistically. She had just had her first kiss with Naruto!

As she focused on that, more happiness came. Tsulika smiled widely as she looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't know how Danzo knew she had started talking, but that would all be taken care of later. She sighed happily as she climbed into bed. 'I've got to remember to thank Sai. I would never of stayed in Konoha if he hadn't asked.'

. . .

The next morning, Naruto burst out of bed as fast as lightning. He was pretty sure he had a girlfriend, and that was awesome news to him. He got ready quickly, even taking time to comb his hair down. Then he left and practically ran into the streets of Konoha. Tsulika was waiting at their usual meeting place. She took in his hair with a raised eyebrow, but other than that she seemed happy to see him.

"So, what're we gonna do today, Tsulika?" Naruto asked. She raised an eyebrow. "Ramen it is!" She smiled and he took her hand and pulled her towards Ichiraku's. They weren't expecting Sai to be there. His gaze traveled from Tsulika's smile to their laced fingers. She took her hand back and made her face emotionless in half a second. Naruto noticed and thought, 'Apparently, it's some sort of secret.'

"Lady Tsunade wants us," Sai told them flatly before turning and walking away. "Ahhhhh," Naruto said, putting on a childish pout. She smiled and took his hand again. "Fine. We'll eat later," he said. She smiled at him and he smiled back. They ran after Sai together. Sai could hear Naruto talking to Tsulika and felt that emotion come up again because he knew she was smiling a genuine smile.

He had learned the emotion was called 'jealousy'. He didn't like feeling jealous of his friend, but he couldn't help it. As they entered the Hokage's office, the couple's hands dropped. Tsunade looked over all of them. "This is a simple mission. I'm happy you all could do this on such a short notice. You'll be escorting Jinin Kioky to a camp a few day's journey from here. He has some business there. Get him there safe. Understand?" They nodded.

"Alright. Meet at the gate in two hours."

The teens left together. As Naruto started making Tsulika smile again, Sai felt jealousy work its way up. "Hey, Sai, what's with you?" Naruto asked suddenly, turning to him. The boy blinked before saying, "Nothing." He rolled his eyes before turning back to the girl, who was looking at him with concern in her eyes.

Sai went to his apartment after they got outside and Tsulika thought, 'He seems like he got a new emotion... and it's not a good one.' Her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto groaning, "I'm hungry! Let's go to Ichiraku's!" She rolled her eyes but followed him to the restaurant, where she epically failed at trying to beat him again.

They went to their apartments so they could pack. Tsulika got done early and decided to go and help her new boyfriend. As she walked, she looked back on the first day she met them. 'I'm so different. That's scary,' she thought. All of this had started with Naruto reaching out to her.

She knocked on his door and he called, "It's open!" She sighed as she walked in. "I could be a criminal, you know," she told him. "If you're a criminal, leave," he replied, appearing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Are you done packing?" she asked. "Yup. Are you?"

"Yeah."

They stood in an almost awkward silence until she walked over and kissed him lightly on the lips. He kissed her back, pulling her into the bedroom. Her fingers tangled in his hair and his hands rested on her hips. She smiled through the kiss, making him kiss her harder. They stayed in that position for a little while before he began kissing her neck. She breathed out slowly.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Tsulika jumped right into the wall. She swore as her head hit it. Naruto stood up and called, "Who is it?"

"Sai. We've got to get going. Do you know where Tsulika is?"

There was an awkward silence in which Tsulika and Naruto locked gazes. "I've got a pretty good idea of where she might be," Naruto said. "Well, find her and tell her to hurry." There were some footsteps to indicate that he was leaving. The two teens sat there for awhile, not looking at each other. "Um... Sai says to hurry up," Naruto told her to break the silence.

She felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "Yeah. I'll just... do that," Tsulika said, standing. She picked up her bag and went to the door to open it and go out into the hallway. "Hey, Naruto," she said, turning to him. He looked up and she blew him a kiss. Then she walked out of the apartment complex, smiling to herself.

She met Sai at the gate. "Hello," he told her quietly. He was avoiding her gaze. Tsulika's eyebrows snapped together. She was worried for him. He was acting so different. Naruto came next and smiled at Tsulika. Kioky, the man they were escorting, walked in next. He was obviously an important man. He looked over them with cold grey eyes. When he saw the girl, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Surprisingly, Naruto was the one who caught that. 'What the hell is he smiling about?' he thought as he glanced at Tsulika, who was glaring at him. She obviously didn't trust him. "Thank you for escorting me. It is an important business trip," he said. His voice was low and gravelly. They started walking west. No one spoke for awhile. Tsulika felt torn between her responsibility to the mission and her feelings for Naruto. She was currently walking beside the man, ready to defend him if it was needed.

"Go on," he said to her. She looked at him. "You keep looking over at that boy. Go on over there. Enjoy what you have when you have it," the man said with a smile. She felt an unpleasant shiver run through her again. There was something different about him. She went over to Naruto, still not trusting him.

"I don't like Kioky," Naruto told her quietly. She shook her head, narrowing her eyes at his back. He still had that crooked smile on. They walked until twilight. "Let's stop here," Sai said, indicating a clearing. Everyone nodded on agreement and set up camp. "Aren't you hungry?" Naruto asked Kioky when he went into his tent without food. "I'm fine. You three share it."

Tsulika muttered, "I don't trust him." Sai replied evenly, "You don't need to." She wrinkled her nose at him and Naruto forced back a smile before realizing something. "You spoke out loud! In front of Sai!" She nodded. "She's spoken aloud to you, too?" Sai asked. Naruto nodded. "Loads of times. Right?"

She shrugged this time, regretting saying anything at all. Sai stood up. "I'm going to check for any enemies on the perimeter." Tsulika hesitated before putting her bowl and rising. "I'm going to go with him," she announced. Naruto watched her as she disappeared into the forest before goin back to his meal. 'She'll be alright. I trust that she can take care of herself.'

. . .

Sai turned around to see the white-haired teen. "Oh. It's only you," he said, sheathing his tanto. She looked him over before saying, "I need to tell you something." He waited, only half listening. "It's about your brother."

His head shot up and he stiffened. "What about him?" he asked in his regular tone of voice. "The night we ran away, I did see him before he died. I saw him when he died." Sai's eyes traveled over her face. "But... they never would've allowed it. How did you see him in the hospital ward?" She turned away.

"He wasn't in the hospital ward."

"What?"

She took a deep breath. "I was there when he died because I'm the one who killed him."

. . .

Naruto wasn't expecting a scream to come from the two ROOTS member's general area. When the cry hit his ears, though, he stood up and glared into the trees. The scream didn't sound again, but he still pushed his way through the vines. "Tsulika? Sai? Are you here?" he called. The girl burst out of nowhere. Sai was right on her tail.

His face was full of rage. Naruto was shocked into stillness as Tsulika threw herself behind him, shivering. He realized what happened pretty quickly before holding out a hand in front of Sai. "Stop. She didn't want to kill him." Sai's face showed that he didn't believe a word of that. "Think rationally! He loved her, Sai! Do you know what love is? Affection! Caring! Maybe even giving up their life for that one person!"

Sai shot back, "Then she would've given up her life!" Naruto hissed angrily, "I don't care what could've happened! It's what did happen! Live with it! He gave up his life for her, the last thing you could show is a little respect! She's been through more than you have!"

Naruto stopped yelling, breathing heavily. Sai's face had faded back into his emotionless mask. "I'm going to go back to camp," he said monotonously before turning and walking away. Naruto turned to Tsulika. "We were going to tell him together," he reminded her gently. She nodded but didn't speak. She was on the verge of tears now. Naruto felt angry at his teammate, but he swallowed the emotion down and said to her, "He'll come through. If not, we'll just convince him."

She nodded again and his fingers interlaced with hers. "C'mon. We're all a little tired." She followed him, face blank as she thought about their current predicament. Sai had already gone into the boy's tent and Tsulika turned to go into her personal tent. Naruto caught her arm before giving her another kiss. She kissed him back, unable to resist.

Then Naruto pulled away. "I'll see you," he murmured to her quietly, trailing his fingertips across her cheekbone, "tomorrow." Then he turned to join Sai in the tent. Tsulika looked up at the stars twinkling above her. 'Why can't I just walk away from him?'

She sighed and turned to go inside the tent. At the entrance, she paused and looked over to Kioky's tent. Her eyes narrowed mistrustfully and she scowled. 'If he's trying to pull something over, I'm going to figure it out sooner than he thinks. He's got real nerve to hire some ninja for a trip if he's not as innocent as he seems.'

. . .

They arrived at the camp at lunchtime the next day. "Thank you," the man told them. "I'll just introduce you to the camp director." They followed him in silence. Sai wasn't looking at either one of them, and Naruto was glaring at him. Tsulika's eyes went from boy to boy. "There you are, Kioky," said a man's voice that sounded almost familiar.

They looked over to see a brown-haired man looking at them with smiling eyes.

Which were purple and silver.

. . .

Uh-oh! Creepy eyes is back! D:

As always, please review to let me know what you thought.

Also, do you think chapter eight is too early for a kiss? I usually have it at chapter ten or above, but this fic is a lot longer than all of my other ones. Hmmmm...


	9. Grief

Silence

Chapter nine

Hey! Thanks for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter! It's my favorite so far because we see Tsulika emote and we see why she was almost killed! You guys are awesome and peace out!

~Grief~

Tsulika stumbled backwards into Naruto. "What's wrong?" he asked. The man put concern into his eyes. "Are you okay, Miss?" She slowly nodded, even though she didn't feel 'okay' at all. They introduced each other. The director's name was Sinefe, and he was extra polite to all of them. Tsulika knew she had been right to suspect Kioky. He must work for the man.

"Come. I think you should spend the night to rest up. We have many activities and plenty of food to keep you busy," Sinefe said as he led them into camp. Naruto was already won over by the free food. Sai wasn't suspicious of anything, but Tsulika was suspicious of everything. None of the boys knew who Sinefe really was. They didn't know what he had done to her. She glared at him the whole time, arms crossed against her chest.

Sinefe didn't notice a thing. He was dutifully showing them around. "Make yourself at home and enjoy yourself. I must go talk with Kioky now." He left and Tsulika unwillingly followed the boys to the food court.

Sinefe turned to go into his personal tent. Kioky followed, smiling crookedly. "Does she suspect anything?" Sinefe asked, dropping the polite expression. "Well, she suspects something's up. I'll bet it's your eyes." His mouth twisted and Kioky fell silent immediately. "Does she know about the plan tonight?"

"No, of course not."

He nodded. "We need the money. First, make sure that the nine-tails and the other boy think she's dead without them thinking it's a murder on our part. Secondly, take her out into the woods and hide. Don't let anyone see you except for me." Kioky nodded. "I know the drill. Do you think the boys will leave her side?"

"They will if we give them a job to do."

"Which job?"

Sinefe shrugged. "That's your job to figure out. Also, we need to set up an accidental death scene." Kioky laughed. "That's all taken care of. They won't believe their eyes!" Sinefe asked, "What do you have planned?"

"Well, here's what I was thinking..."

. . .

It was official. The ramen was terrible here. Naruto wrinkled his nose and pushed his bowl away. "I think it's poisoned," he said to Sai and Tsulika, who were sitting on each side of him. The girl shook her head to say, "Wouldn't surprise me." Sai truthfully didn't like it, either. "Hey, let's go see what activities they have!" Naruto said, hopping out of his seat.

Sai followed and Tsulika came last, still not convinced this place was safe. "C'mon, Tsulika! I'll win you a stuffed animal!" Naruto called. 'Why,' Tsulika asked herself, 'would they have carnival games at a business camp?' She glared at the guy behind the counter. "Stop being a stick in the mud! It's free! Dammit, I missed!" she watched him as he tried again and again, but failed each time.

"Shut up," he said when he was done. Tsulika hadn't said anything, but she was smirking. "I'd like to see you do better!" She took the ball in her hand, eyed the bottles, and in one accurate throw took them down. She turned to the boy who muttered, "Beginner's luck." She smiled and the guy handed her a stuffed pig, which she promptly gave to Naruto. 'It reminds me of you,' she wrote.

He threw it at her and it hit her in the face. "I was pushed," he said. She responded by kicking his shin. He cried out and fell dramatically to ground. People didn't give them a second glance as they walked by. Tsulika knelt beside the 'crying' Naruto and muttered, "Don't you think it's weird that they have games here? In the middle of a business camp? And what about the fact that nobody's looking at us?"

Naruto sighed. "They're just games, Tsulika. And they know we're a couple of teenagers. They must be used to it with their own kids." She retorted, "None of these people look old enough to have teenage children." He shrugged. "Then they remember their teenage years and ignore us. What's your problem?"

"Just forget it."

He fell silent before someone caught his shoulder. "Where's your friend? I have a job for you two," said Sinefe. Tsulika's eyes widened. "His name is Sai. And I have no clue where he went," Naruto said, shrugging again. Just then, they boy appeared beside them. "I was busy. What is the job?" he asked. "You two need to go out and make sure there's no one out there. You can do that, right?" Naruto pumped his fist.

"Easy-peasy! See you, Tsulika!"

He started to go off, but Sinefe caught his arm. "Tsulika, you'll be coming to my tent with me. I've got something... special for you," he said before releasing Naruto's arm. The boy blinked, wondering why he had stopped him. Tsulika looked to Sai as he ran off. The boy met her gaze coldly before realizing something. Why was it so important to stop Naruto so he could hear Tsulika's location?

He was about to say something, but the man had already taken her by the arm- rather forcefully- and was practically dragging her to a large tent. Sai felt an unpleasant sensation and he cautiously followed Naruto, starting to understand why Tsulika didn't like it here.

Back in the tent, Sinefe had dropped all politeness. "You've been a thorn in my side ever since you were three. You lived and you weren't supposed to. Then I got you in Konoha, but the nine-tails saved you. But you know something now, Hishnit Nira?" He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "No one's going to save you now."

She reached up to grip the hilt of her katana. "Attack. Amuse me," the man said with a smile. She let her hand relax, not going to give him the satisfaction. Kioky removed her weapons and stepped away. Tsulika's eyes didn't waver from Sinefe's the whole time. "When is the plan going to start?" Sinefe asked him, still smiling at the girl. "As soon as you're ready," he replied. Sinefe's smile turned sickly. "Excellent."

. . .

"I just think that Tsulika has a point when she says that she doesn't trust them."

"You're delirious, Sai."

The boy shook his head. "I'm not. In fact, I'm quite the opposite." Naruto was about to answer, but there was a sudden explosion from the camp. They looked at each other before taking off towards it. Kioky met them halfway there. "There's been some sort of accident! Someone set the camp on old explosive mines and now Sinefe's tent is gone!"

Naruto grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. "There was a girl that went in there with him! Where is Tsulika?" He stammered, "N-No one c-came out... Sh-She's..." His blue eyes widened and he took back off towards the camp. Sai followed and caught him as he was about to run into the fiery depths of the tent. "Tsulika!" he shouted. "Damn you, Sai, let me go! TSULIKA!" Sai held him back and said, "We can't do anything! She's gone."

Naruto collapsed, looking at the ground. Tears filled his eyes and his hands clenched into fists. Kioky came up beside him, face ashen. "I am so sorry-" Naruto had hit him, sending him flying. "You did this! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!" His eyes were turning blood red, a sharp contrast to their usual blue. "Naruto," Sai warned. He ignored his teammate. "You killed her! I... I'll kill you!" Kioky put his hands up as Naruto threw himself at the man.

Sai stopped him. "This isn't the right time. And you're..." Naruto suddenly realized that the fox was coming out. "Even if I die right in front of you, you've got to fight the urge," Tsulika had told him. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were back to normal. "As much as I hate you, I promised her something. I kept it. You're lucky that she was ever alive, or you'd be dead right now." Sai looked at the smoldering ruins of the tent.

'I'm so sorry, Tsulika. It's partly my fault.'

Naruto's hands were clenching and unclenching. Tears were pouring out of his eyes. He felt like it was all his fault for not believing her. Sai came up beside him. "I can't believe that... one moment, she's here, and the next, she's vaporized. Just twenty minutes ago, we were laughing together and-" He couldn't go on. Sai said nothing. He was feeling guilt for blaming her for his brother's death and for not believing her, either.

A woman got them. "Come. There's a quiet area where you can sit," she said. They got food and comfortable beds, but neither of them felt like eating or sleeping. "I hate myself. I should've listened to her! Just once!" Naruto yelled, pounding his pillow. "Naruto," murmured Sai quietly.

"It's all my fault! I'm going to go back home and never come out! I..."

He smashed his fist into the wood of the bed. It splintered and bloodied his hand. Sai asked, "Now why would you do that?" He replied, "Because I let my friend down. I deserve this." They sat in silence for a bit. Neither of them had any idea what to think about the sudden death. They just felt like laying there, staring at the ceiling and acting like nothing had happened.

. . .

Tsulika wasn't dead. She was currently sitting against a tree, crying because of Naruto's pain-filled cry of, "TSULIKA!" Sinefe was with her. "Sorry we had to hurt him, Nira. But, what's necessary is what's necessary." She glared at him. It was bad enough that she was never going to see them again, but he had to rub it in, too.

Kioky appeared through the trees. "He almost killed me," he hissed. "You're fine. Is it safe for her to speak? I know she's been wanting to give me a mouthful." Kioky nodded and Sinefe undid the gag.

"I hate you."

"That's it?"

She felt her rage running deep, but still didn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream at him. "Well, someone's calmed down. Let's change her mind. What else did he do or say?"

"He blames himself for it. The nine-tails almost got out, but then he said something about a promise. He couldn't stop crying. It was hilarious!"

Sinefe was shaking with laughter. Tsulika couldn't stop herself. "NARUTO! I'M STILL ALIVE! IT'S A TRICK!" she screamed, trying to make him hear her. The two men were rolling, they were laughing so hard. Tsulika started crying again. "Okay," gasped Kioky when he stopped chortling. "Who paid you to do this?" Tsulika asked suddenly.

"I wasn't paid by anybody. I do this for the entertainment."

She said, "But all of this has to come from somewhere." He signed. "We were first paid by someone who hates your clan. I don't know what his name is, but he paid well. This time, though, we were paid by some creepy old guy with a scar on his chin and one arm in his kimono. What was his name?"

"Danzo," Tsulika muttered. "Danzo. That's it! Now, let's go." They forced her to her feet and walked her away from the campsite. "I'm happy you're making it so easy for us to do this. Thank you," he said sweetly. She didn't trust herself to reply. Her eyes traveled back to fake camp, where Naruto was grieving for no reason. "Someday, I'm going to make you pay for what you did to him," Tsulika promised. It only made them smile.

"Go on, Princess. How exactly are you going to do that?"

"I hate you. So much."

Sinefe shook his head. "I don't care how many times you say that. I'm still going to sleep at night." She fell silent. She hated how he was making her walk somewhere far away just so she could be killed. "How were your studies going?" Kioky asked with a smirk. Tsulika stayed silent. They weren't going to get any reaction from her anymore. She was ready to take anything they could throw at her.

. . .

"She died in a mine accident?" Tsunade asked. "Yes," Sai replied. Naruto stared at the ground, eyes clouded with grief. "I see. I'm sorry. She was a great kunoichi." Nobody answered her and she sighed. "Please go home. I'll discuss missions with you later."

Sai left immediately, but Naruto stayed. "Lady Tsunade, I want to go back for her. At least to just pay my last respects." He sounded sad and pleading. Tsunade sighed before murmuring, "We can't let you go again, Naruto. You need to stay here. You'll be able to pay your last respects at the funeral." Naruto closed his eyes. 'The funeral. It's real, then.'

He left the office and walked into the bright sunlight. It was mocking him. There was a shout of, "Naruto!" He turned to see Sakura. "Sai told me that Tsulika's... well... that she died," she said, eyes wide. He nodded, looking over his friend slowly. "How'd it happen?" she asked. "Explosion," Naruto replied. Sakura's eyes filled with tears and she looked down. "I didn't know... just so sudden..." The pink-haired kunoichi walked away, muttering those things.

Naruto paused before starting off again. As he turned a random corner, another female voice asked, "N-Naruto?" He turned to see Hinata. "Hey, Hinata," he said quietly. "Wh-What's wrong? A-Are you alright?" she asked, looking concerned. "No. I'm not," he replied harshly. She fell silent and a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Sorry. It's just... this girl died, and I liked her, you know?" her eyes widened. 'A girl?' She clenched her hands into fists.

Naruto continued talking even as the Hyuuga girl walked away. "Everyone's acting so sweet and nice about, but it's not truly caring, you know?" Naruto asked, turning to see her, only to find she wasn't there. "Oh." He thought, 'I thought I was talking to Tsulika again. I'm so damn ignorant that even my friends don't want me around!'

He went back to his apartment. He swore he could feel the gentle touch of her lips on his. He sat down on the bed and remembered the first night she had spoken to him. He lay back, fixing his eyes on the ceiling. 'I really hate myself. She trusted me to always be by her side, and I ran off on some job.' He rolled over, staring at the walls.

The boy wasn't crying anymore. He was just laying there, unable to sleep and unable to get up. His chest was heavy with grief, and he was simply letting it out in a way he had learned from the person he was grieving for.

In silence.

. . .

"Okay, just sit there," said Kioky. Tsulika did as he said, glaring at him. She was still waiting for something to happen so she could escape, but the men were flawless in their job. "I sure hope you like where you're staying. It's special to us," Sinefe said. He wasn't getting enough emotion out of this girl to satisfy his need for entertainment. She simply sat there, face emotionless as the men taunted and mocked her. Kioky had even gone so far as to hit her, but still she remained silent.

They were arriving at a house that belonged to Kioky's wife. She met them at the door and threw her arms around the man, kissing him full in the mouth. Tsulika felt fresh pain rise up and she looked away. "Come along now," Sinefe told her, taking a long time to pass the loving couple. "Have you ever had someone to share that with?" Tsulika asked suddenly.

"I've made a couple of choices."

"Then you don't understand. You wouldn't."

He looked at her and she stared back. "I've loved people in my life who haven't loved me back, including my family. So you know what I did? I murdered them. I left my parents for last, so they knew what was coming for them." His mouth twisted into a smile. "You're evil," whispered the girl.

"I try. Come on."

He led her to a room and said, "This is where you'll be staying for the time being. Have fun," he said before shutting the door.

'Have fun,' Tsulika thought angrily. 'Who the hell does he think he is?' She sighed through her nose. 'Obviously someone above me, since he's the one who locked me up in here.' She lay back, examining the ceiling. 'I just wish I could see him... one more time.'

. . .

Will she? Possibly. I guess I'll just have to think up another chapter. ^^ review!


	10. Broken

Silence

Chapter ten

Hey! This chapter has action in it. Hopefully you didn't think it was getting boring. ^^

~Broken~

The next few days were torture for Naruto. Everyone would go up to him and ask, "What happened to that one white-haired girl that you're always with?" He was sick of that question. It had been one week after her death and he still hated himself. He was miserable all the time. "Naruto? I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight. You know, like a date," Sakura said hesitantly. He forced a smile on his face. "Of course. Um... Meet you at Ichiraku's at six?"

She smiled. "Deal! See you later!" As she left, Naruto let his face fall again. His teammates and friends were desperately trying to make him feel better. Five people that day had offered to buy him ramen, and now Sakura had asked him out. With a sigh, he stood up and started towards his apartment.

Sai caught him halfway there. "What? Are you here to cheer me up, too?" Naruto asked. Sai paused for half a second too long before saying, "No. I just wanted to come by and say..." Naruto waited, but Sai didn't finish his sentence. "Look, if you really want to cheer me up, go and convince the Hokage to let me go back."

He strode away angrily. Sai didn't try to stop him. 'I don't like to see him this way. It's too much like my brother,' Sai thought, remembering the boy's face when he had found out Tsulika was going to be experimented on. He sighed and started on his way home. Naruto wasn't in the mood for him to try and cheer him up. Hopefully it wouldn't take long for him to stop being the way he was. Yet again, it would take him longer than what was probably necessary.

. . .

Tsulika hated the small space she was confined to. There wasn't any room for training and hardly any for pacing. She got her energy out by beating her walls until her knuckles bled. She wished they would just kill her already. Naruto already thought she was dead, and she was never going to see him again, so they might as well.

There was a knock on the door and she went over to it. "Hi, there," said Kioky's wife through the wood. "Can I come in?" Tsulika turned the doorknob to indicate she could and the woman unlocked it. "Okay, Sweetheart. I've brought your meal," she said brightly. Her name was Finina and she was short and boisterous. She had springy red hair and warm brown eyes. "Do you want to get out of here?" she murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

At first, Tsulika thought she had heard wrong. "Do you?" Finina asked again. Tsulika nodded, surprised. "Alright. Tomorrow, do your best to get into trouble. I'll take it from there." She watched as the woman left the room, shocked. Had her enemy just offered to help her escape? She nibbled on her bread as she thought about it.

Finina had been in quite a few arguments with the man since she'd been there. As she finished her meal, there was another knock on her door. She looked up as Sinefe walked in. "Nira. How are you feeling today?" he asked. "Imprisoned," she replied. "Are you scared, darling?" The girl shook her head truthfully. She was angry at them for making Naruto believe she was dead, but she wasn't scared of dying. Not anymore.

"Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Just to let you know, you will have a chance to fight. Good luck."

As he left, she thought of something else. They could take away her weapons, but they hadn't bound her hands. She put them together and did her hand signs. 'Summoning Jutsu!' Deyrian appeared on the floor in front of her. "Tsulika, my girl! How are you?" She replied, "Bad so far. You see, I'm being imprisoned by the same man who killed my mother. Also, Naruto believes I'm dead."

The fox tilted his head. "You care for him." She nodded. "A lot. He's just... Different. He's someone I can actually trust, you know?" Deyrian said, "How much do you care for him? Is it just friendship, or... love?" She blinked at the last part. Deyrian wasn't the mushy type. "We're somewhere in between. I hate these people."

"So why am I here?"

"Because I need someone to keep me company!"

The fox sighed. "I'm a summon, not a therapist. Can't you tell your troubles to the wall?" he asked. "I've tried. The wall doesn't like me much, though," she replied. He laughed, thumping his tail. "When did you gain a sense of humor?" he asked, tongue lolling out. "It's always been there. Naruto just had to bring it out."

"Hm. The kid sounds alright," Deyrian remarked. "He's amazing!" Tsulika went on to describe everything that had happened between them. She even giggled like a normal teenager when she described their first kiss. "You're too much," the fox said when she was done. "I get to be the lucky fox who goes to a weird teenage girl. Why not?" She smiled widely as the door handle turned. In half a second, Deyrian had poofed away.

A little girl peeked in. "Where's my Mom?" she asked demandingly. "I don't know. I'm supposed to be locked in," Tsulika replied, assuming her mother was Finina. "Oh. You're another 'assignment'," the girl said. "Yeah. I'm another assignment," Tsulika told her. "Don't try to escape. The ones who run get more brutal deaths," she advised before shutting the door. Tsulika went to her window.

'But... I'm different. I have a drive other than my own life.'

She lay back down with a sigh. If all went well, she would see Naruto again in the near future. She suddenly laughed before popping a hand over her mouth. Someone could of heard her. Tsulika got a fresh rush of hope as she thought about the boy. In a few minutes, she had fallen asleep with an escape plan inside her mind.

. . .

"Kioky! Sinefe! Tsulika's escaping!"

The two men looked up before running out of the office. The girl had kicked down her door and was making her way down the halls. Kioky did some hand signs and some chakra ropes bound her. "You just shortened the remainder of your life," Sinefe informed her. She didn't reply and instead looked a Finina, who nodded ever so slightly. Tsulika allowed them to lead her downstairs and throw her behind bars.

She waited in the darkness until Finina came down and opened the door to it. "Here," she said as she unlocked the handcuffs they had put on her. "Go through the door at the end of the hall and make your way into the forest. Don't stop until you reach the first town with actual people in it. They give up after that," she said. "How far?" Tsulika asked.

The woman didn't answer and Tsulika thought, 'This isn't going to be easy.' She was led down the hall and pushed through the door. "Go. I wish you the best," Finina told her before giving her her katana and pack. The girl turned and the door was shut behind her. "She's out," Finina said into her radio. "Excellent," was the reply. "I'll send the alert out now."

. . .

Tsulika pushed through the door and realized that there had been weeds growing on one side of it. Water flowed against her legs and she felt kelp get caught around her ankles. There was plenty of sunlight. She climbed the riverbank, getting mud all over her in the process. As she got to the top, alarms sounded. The girl ran right into the nearest cover, which was the trees.

Once there, she paused and looked around. 'Alright. First, find out which way you're going. Second, start running.' She knew that it was the afternoon, which meant the sun was more westward. Konoha was south of the house, so if she faced the sun and turned left, she would be heading in the village's direction.

She took off and was pretty sure that no one was following her before the shuriken embedded itself into the tree in front of her. "Well, well, well," said Sinefe. "A little girl tried to run away." She whispered, "No way." How could he have gotten there so quickly? "I sure hope you plan on not seeing anyone again," Sinefe told her.

She saw a fallen tree branch out of the corner of her eye and started scooting over there. Sinefe started circling with her, not seeing the branch. "You have a lot of nerve doing this. I'm going to make your death so painful."

She paused before reaching out, grabbing the branch, and throwing it into the man's stomach before turning and running. There was a hoarse cry, but she didn't try to look back. She threw herself in a tree when she got out of breath and leaned against the trunk, clutching her side and gasping.

When she caught her breath, no one had come yet. She slipped out of the branches and started off again, keeping her ears and eyes open. The forest stayed silent as she traveled. When night fell, she curled up in some weeds for cover. If someone walked by, they wouldn't be able to see the girl inside. Tsulika yawned and closed her eyes, exhausted. Tomorrow would be another full day of running and fighting before hiding. Not the most ideal way to spend a day, but if it got her to Naruto, it was worth it.

. . .

Sakura had asked him out on three dates in three days. Naruto was just dropping her off on the third one, smiling widely and trying to look happy. "Thanks for coming with me. I had a great time," Sakura told him. He smiled and replied, "Me, too." There was a pause before she leaned forward and slowly kissed him before pulling back. "See you later," she told him with a small smile as she walked into her house.

Naruto didn't understand how he felt. He felt happy that the girl he had been crushing on for years had finally kissed him, but the kiss had been missing something. Naruto turned and walked towards his apartment. He wasn't even thinking about Tsulika anymore, even though he hadn't forgotten her. He was pretty sure he would never forget her. The grief wasn't necessary, though, so he ignored the part of his mind that always thought about her as best he could.

It was impossible at times. He still sometimes felt her lips meeting his tenderly. He still heard her soft voice and still remembered her smile and annoying smirks. With a sigh, he entered his apartment and crawled into his bed. A fresh wave a grief hit and he curled up. A sob escaped his lips and more followed until he didn't even try to hold back. Naruto let the pain flow out with his tears. They stopped after awhile. He turned to his back and stared at the ceiling. 'If you were alive, Tsulika... would you be here with me?'

. . .

Tsulika awoke to hauntingly familiar voices. "That little bitch. She's got it coming to her," said Sinefe. Two pairs of feet stopped right in front of her face. "Yeah, well, we'll get her. The bastard's paying a pretty decent amount," said Kioky, who had passed her. Sinefe's feet suddenly paused. "Shh," he said before jumping.

Tsulika's heart felt like it was going to explode. "Come out and play," mocked Kioky. She didn't answer or move. "She's not here," Sinefe said, dropping down right on top of her ribs. She bit back a cry. Kioky dropped down on her leg. Her lips opened in a silent scream as the bone broke. "Let's go," Sinefe said, not noticing anything. As soon as they left, Tsulika sat straight up, clutching at her leg. "Ow," she whimpered, not trusting herself to say anymore.

She tried to stand up and began an array of rather colorful words. Her leg was weak and couldn't support her weight. She limped in Konoha's direction. By twilight, she had made it a quarter of the way she had planned. "Hey, Miss! Are you alright?" asked a male voice. She gasped and looked over to see a boy standing there next to a dog. He had a Konoha headband in his hair.

She squealed and he blinked. "I'm Tsulika! Naruto's girlfriend!" The boy blinked again. "But she died! Wait... No you didn't! He'll be so happy! C'mon, I'll take you back to the rest of my team!" He picked her up bridal-style and started running. "Hinata! Shino! Look who I've found!" A dark-haired girl and a boy who had covered most of his face with his coat.

"She's Naruto's thought-to-be-dead girl... friend. As in, like, a friend who's a girl," he said as the girl's look went from sympathetic to hostile. 'She must have a crush on him,' thought Tsulika with a hint of guilt. The other boy said, "Kiba. Are you sure that she can be trusted?"

"Aww, c'mon, Shino! Her leg's broken. She couldn't do anything if she wanted to!"

They did their best with her leg, but none of them were medical-nin. "We'll be at Konoha tomorrow morning. Noon at the latest," Kiba told her, leaning against his dog, Akamaru. She smiled at him to show her thanks before leaning against a tree and closing her eyes. "Good night, Tsulika! We'll get you back home, no matter what!"

. . .

"There it is!" shouted the brown-haired boy as they saw the village. Tsulika smiled as she looked down on it. 'Naruto...' They set off at a fast pace. "Kiba, take her to the hospital. They need to get something for that leg," said Shino. "Yep! See you, Hinata!" She didn't reply as he carried her through the streets of Konoha. Tsulika kept her eyes open for the familiar blond, but he didn't come up.

Kiba, Akamaru at his side, turned the corner. "Hey, Naruto! What're you-" He cut himself off as Tsulika twisted to see him. He was still the same old Naruto, except for the fact that he was kissing Sakura.

. . .

Uh-ohs. There's gonna be some crazy- going on. Maybe.

Sorry that this hasn't been updated in one day, like usual. I also think this chapter is quite a bit shorter... How does that work? O.O

You guys are awesome for reviewing. Please do it some more.


	11. Don't Leave

Silence

Chapter eleven

PLEASE READ! I'm so sorry about the NarutoxSakura/NarutoxTsulika thing. Since this is a NaruxOC story, I chose the latter, even though I'm still a NARUSAKU fan!

Please don't hate on the story D:

~Don't Leave~

Naruto broke the kiss and turned to Kiba, ready to yell at him. He suddenly cut himself off as he realized who the girl in his arms was. "Ts-Tsulika?" he stammered, eyes wide. She was staring at him with a quivering bottom lip. Sakura noticed her, too. "Tsulika! Oh, my God, how are you here?" She was still staring at them with wide blue eyes.

Kiba said, "Um, come along. We need to get you into the hospital." As he turned to enter the building, Tsulika ripped her gaze away from her teammates. Sakura looked down, blushing. Naruto was still staring at the spot where he had last seen her.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Sakura asked. "She's alive... Sakura, don't you understand? I didn't fail her! I... I'm not a backstabber!" She watched as he cheered for himself, his mouth splitting into the first genuine smile for days. "Go and see her," Sakura said to him, touching his cheek. He looked down at her. "But, Sakura..."

"Go on. She's probably been missing you as much as you've been missing her."

Naruto waited before nodding. "Thank you, Sakura." He entered the hospital and found out her room number. "She should be up there," the woman assured him as he climbed the stairs. He knocked on the door and there was a load of silence. Hesitantly, he opened the door and peeked in. Tsulika was staring at her hands.

"Tsulika?" Naruto said gently. She looked away from her hands, still avoiding his gaze. He sat down in the chair next to her and slowly leaned forward. "I can't believe you're here. I thought that you had gone, and that it was all my fault. Tsulika, please look at me." She slowly looked up and he kissed her. She seemed unsure of what to do as he brought her closer to him, pressing their bodies together.

Then she made up her mind. "Stop," she said, pulling away. "What? Did I do something wrong?" She replied nastily, "Yes. Aren't you cheating on your new girlfriend?" He blanched before saying, "I didn't know... I mean, seriously Tsulika... You're the one I want. I like Sakura, but you're special to me." She loved his words and hated them at the same time. "I know that you've liked her forever. I don't want to take something like that away from you," she told him.

"The only way you're going to take my happiness away from me is if you don't kiss me back right now." Tsulika looked at him before leaning over. She paused for a quarter of a second before her lips met his tenderly. He angled his head and she deepened the kiss.

When they broke it, he rested his forehead against hers. "There you go," he said, stroking her jawline. Everything was so calm... so gentle... Tsulika pulled him onto the bed beside her. He wrapped her in his arms. "Never leave me like that again," he told her. "I won't. I hated the way that they made you grieve. I'm sorry for that," she told him as she leaned her head against his chest.

The couple fell asleep soon afterwards, totally content with being next to each other.

. . .

Sai visited her the next day. "I'm sorry. I was wrong to blame you for my brother's death." She smiled and hugged him. "It's alright. I'm back here with my friends... with Naruto..." She trailed off, staring out the window. Sai watched her with interest. "I really wish I had those feelings," Sai told her.

She looked at him. "I want to be able to have those special bonds with someone. I just haven't been able to find them yet. You have. I'm happy and jealous of you at the same time," he confessed, casting his eyes downward.

She smiled and put her fingers under his chin. "You will find them. Trust in me as your friend." He nodded before standing. "And by the way, Naruto's going to be coming soon. Do something about that bird's nest you call hair," he told her. "Shut up," she said as he left. Naruto did come soon after.

"Hey, Tsulika. When's your birthday?" The question caught her completely off guard. "Huh?" Naruto shrugged. "I want to know the date of your birth." She sighed and said, "April fourth."

"Dammit! I've missed it!"

"It doesn't matter. Even if it was near my birthday, you wouldn't need to give me anything."

Naruto looked over her, taking in her broken leg with a guilty grimace. "Oh. Alright. I just needed an excuse to give you this," he told her as he pulled a box out of his pocket. "Naruto, you shouldn't have!" she gasped. He shrugged modestly as he opened it. There was a locket inside. "Open it. I had Sai make it special."

She opened it and saw a drawing of Naruto on one side and one of her on the other. She had her hands on her hips and was turning away so the boy couldn't see her face, but her lips held a smile. Naruto looked confused as to how he had made her mad in the drawing. It was so realistic. She looked up at him, eyes shining.

"Yeah... um... do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it!"

She kissed his cheek and he smiled as he did the clasp around her neck. "I've gotta go, Tsulika, but I'll see you later!"

"See you!"

After he left, she looked at the picture for a long time. She would have to thank Sai afterwords. With a sigh, she closed the locket. It was a relatively cheap piece of jewelry, but it would do. She rolled over and curled into a ball, yawning. Tsulika was back in Konoha, with Naruto and her friends. No one would hurt her now.

. . .

"Okay, your leg appears fine. Want to try and walk again?"

Tsulika, gasping, nodded. They were trying to figure out if the cast was ready to take off. Naruto was there helping her. She gripped his arm and leaned on him as they took a few steps forward. "Okay, let her go, Naruto," Sakura said. She felt his arms leave and took a few wobbly steps forward on her weakened leg.

It had been a week since Naruto had given her the locket. "Good," Sakura said as she collapsed on a bench next to her. "I think we'll try to take the cast off," Sakura told her, kneeling. "It's still so weak, though," Naruto said, voicing Tsulika's concern. "Well, it hasn't been exercised for awhile. Obviously it's gonna be weaker," Sakura told him matter-of-factly as she finished taking the cast off. Tsulika flexes her leg and sighed in relief.

"Alright, then! I think you're ready to be discharged!" Sakura told her brightly. Tsulika looked at Naruto happily and in two hours, she was at home. Naruto was with her, of course.

"I never," murmured Tsulika as she trailed her fingertips across his chest, "want to move from this spot." He tightened his arm around her and leaned his head against her hair. "Me neither. Well, until I get hungry." She laughed softly and closed her eyes. He shifted and pretty soon his lips found hers. "Tsulika, about me being the nine-tails..."She opened her eyes instantly.

"It's fine. I don't care about that. Trust me when I tell you that I'll stay here as long as possible."

"As long as possible?"

Tsulika flinched. "Um... Yeah. We've got to die one day, you know?" Naruto was still looking at her, but he wisely let it drop. It would come up later, she was sure. Might as well tell him now. He wasn't going to be able to stop the fact that she was going to return to ROOTS. She put it off until he climbed into the bed next to her, looking into her eyes. "Naruto, can I say something?" she asked.

"Of course."

"I... I... I'm really glad that I'm here with you."

'Dammit! I chickened out!'

He didn't notice it as he gave her hand a kiss. "Me, too, Tsulika. Let's get some rest," Naruto told her sleepily. His soft snores filled the room a moment later. Tsulika cuddled up to him, smiling. Or hinder sounded in the distance, but it wasn't frightening. It was calm thunder; it was the kind that calmed you. With a smile, she closed her eyes and listened as the storm came in. When the first drops of rain fell from the sky, she fell asleep against the boy, perfectly content.

. . .

Tsulika was with Sai the next day, surveying the different types of ink. "Grab me that one up there, please," Sai said as he turned his head. She took the bottle delicately in her hands and followed him. "Thank you. Have you seen Naruto or Sakura today?"

Tsulika tilted her head before shaking it. "I haven't seen them all day, either. Do you think we should look for them?" Sai asked as he paid for the ink. She nodded, wondering where they had wandered off to. They searched through Konoha.

They found them outside the Hokage's building, heads bowed and fists clenched. "What's wrong?" Sai asked. They looked up at the same time and Tsulika went to Naruto's side. "Sasuke killed Orochimaru," Sakura said. Sai took a look at their faces. "He's not coming back."

Not a question, so no one answered. Tsulika slid her hand over Naruto's and her took it. "Are we going to find him?" Sai asked hesitantly. "Well, of course," Sakura said. "He's going to find Itachi, so all we need to do is find the Akatsuki!" Naruto said, sounding more cheerful. Tsulika smiled.

"Well, then, everything will be alright," Sai said matter-of-factly. "Let's go get something to eat!" the blond said enthusiastically. Tsulika smiled and shook her head in disbelief as he took her hand and pulled her along. Sakura followed, rolling her eyes at Sai, who looked after the couple with a slight trace of a genuine smile on his lips. 'I wish you could see how she handled this, Brother. You'd think it amazing.'

. . .

"And that one is... Perseus?"

"That's the big dipper."

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. "How did you not know that?" Tsulika asked with a smirk. "How did you now know that?" he mocked in a high-pitched voice. She made a pouty face and turned away. He continued in his girly voice, "I didn't know that because I was distracted by something beautiful next to me."

She sat up and looked over. "Well, good luck with the railing, but you're not her type." He laughed and said, "You know who I meant." She smiled as he kissed her before slowly pulling away. "I've got to say something important," she murmured. "Say away," he replied.

"We aren't... there's no way... I can't stay with you."

. . .

'What did she just say?' Naruto asked himself as Tsulika sat up, eyes averted. "But... what... Why?" She replied, "I'm in ROOTS. They would never allow it." Naruto felt his stomach drop. "But, Tsulika, I just got you back! I can't lose you so soon! Please, just try and make it work!" he begged. "Naruto," she said as she trailed her fingertips across his cheek, "I want to stay, but I can't. ROOTS isn't going to allow it. Plus, we're only a couple of teens. How serious could it have gotten?" she asked with a fake smile.

Then Tsulika stood and turned towards the door, ready to leave.

"I love you, Tsulika."

She froze in her tracks. "I can't imagine living here without you. ROOTS can suck it if they think I'm going to give up on you that easily. Please, Tsulika, I love you so goddamn much, it hurts." She turned to him, eyes shining. She stepped forward and kissed him, pouring her feelings back into it. "I love you, too," she said as they broke it. "Now this is going to be hard when I have to go."

He didn't reply as he rested his forehead on hers. They lay there for awhile before moving to his bed. "I love you," Naruto told her again, kissing her. "I love you, too," Tsulika replied, resting her head against his chest. He held her, taking her braid out so he could tangle his fingers in her long white locks. She moved closer and fell asleep against his chest.

"Goodnight, Tsulika," Naruto whispered before brushing his lips against her forehead and closing his eyes.

. . .

Awwwww! FLUFFY! ^^ Inspired by: Smile by Avril Lavigne.

Review!


	12. So Much For Love

Silence

Chapter twelve

Sad chapter ahead. Sorry.

~So Much For Love~

Dark. It was dark. There was nothing for her anymore. The girl stumbled over a log and fell, curling up. "HELP!" she tried to scream. Something muffled the sound and she writhed around, still trying to scream her pain away. "You've got to understand that there's no place for the Hishnit clan anymore," said a voice in the back of her head.

She rolled and choked as invisible fingers closed around her throat. "Do you want to know who's doing this to you?" the voice asked her softly. The girl shook her head, but a figure slowly appeared before her. He had blond hair, bright red eyes, whisker-like markings on his face... The girl could only stare as he moved his hands to her skull and twisted it, breaking her neck. She fell to the ground and Naruto flexed his fingers. "Sorry, Tsulika. What's got to be done has got to be done," he said as he turned away.

. . .

Tsulika woke with a cry. There was sunlight streaming through the window; such a contrast to the darkness of her dream. 'Naruto wouldn't... He wouldn't harm me,' she thought as her fingers went to her throat. The dream had been so vivid. "I'm fine," she assured herself aloud before standing up and getting ready.

Last night had been one of the few she had spent away from Naruto's presence since she was discharged by the hospital. As Tsulika braided her hair, she thought, 'That's probably why I had such a bad dream. I need to chill out.' Tsulika, satisfied with her appearance, left. She ran outside, braid whipping wildly behind her.

As soon as she was outside, she ran right into a girl, who she recognized as Hinata. She smiled to show her recognition/apologizes. "Cut the crap," the girl replied nastily. Tsulika blinked, surprised. "I wanted Naruto first, and you aren't going to take him away!" Hinata said, making her usual timid voice sound strong. Tsulika gaped at her.

"I... I'll fight you for him! Don't think I won't!" Hinata said, moving into her fighting position. At that, Tsulika smiled a little. "Poor little Hyuuga girl. You really think you can beat me? Because I've been through what you've been through a hundred times worse and two hundred times gorier," Tsulika told her before turning away.

The small crowd that had gathered dissipated and Hinata stepped forward, grabbed the girl by the arm, spun her around, and slapped her across the face so hard, she tasted blood. "Bitch," Tsulika said, kicking the girl in the chest. She stumbled away and Tsulika drew her katana, ready for another attack. Hinata was ready for one, too. "Byakugan!" she said. Tsulika scowled at her eyes.

As chakra formed around Hinata's fist and she prepared to punch, a boy appeared in front of her. "Hinata. Stop," he said. Tsulika narrowed her eyes even more at him as he turned to look at her with the same Hyuuga eyes. "Let me go, Neji," she said quietly. "This is madness. Let her be with ruffian like him," Neji told her and he turned away. Hinata glared at Tsulika. "I don't like you," she told her pointedly before turning away.

Tsulika shrugged. So someone didn't like her. She turned away and headed off, looking for Naruto. He was at Ichiraku's (big surprise there) and he was laughing with Sakura. "Hey, Tsulika! How you doing, Babe?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow and he quickly said, "How are you doing?" She smiled and nodded to show that all was good. He moved his hand and she flinched away.

"Um... Are you alright, Tsulika?" he asked. She realized that he was holding out his hand for her to take it. Tsulika forced a fake smile onto her lips and laced their fingers. "So, it's official," Sakura said. Naruto shrugged. "I guess so." The girl was about to answer when Ino and Shikamaru strolled by. "Ino! C'mere," Sakura said, grabbing the blond's arm demandingly. Shikamaru looked over at his teammate and her friend before shifting his gaze to Naruto and Tsulika's hands.

He walked away, muttering, "Troublesome." Tsulika smiled and shifted even closer to her boyfriend, ignoring the question that burned in the back of her head. 'Why am I afraid of Naruto?'

After all four of them had eaten their fill, Ino looked over at them. "So, you guys are a thing now," she said, eyes shining at the aspect of gossip. "Yep," Naruto said. "Then you wouldn't mind showing up at a party I'm having tonight. You know, with your relationship exposed and everything."

Naruto blinked, but Tsulika got it. She went beat red and Ino and Sakura giggled. "I don't understand," Naruto said, making the three kunoichi look at each other before bursting into laughter, even if Tsulika's was silent.

"Wait... is this some kind of joke?" Naruto demanded, looking over at Tsulika, who sighed and shook her head at the sky. "Hey, so there's really gonna be a party, right?" Naruto asked, deciding to ignore the crazy girl joke. "Yeah. We'll be playing party games, so be prepared," she said, winking.

"What do you say, Tsulika?" Naruto asked. She nodded and he said, "We'll be there. With our relationship 'exposed', whatever the fuck that means." Tsulika choked on her drink as Ino and Sakura burst into loud laughter.

. . .

They arrived at the party late, because Naruto insisted it was cool. Tsulika found the idea quite ridiculous, especially since he wanted to be one hour late. She dragged him along with her at the fifteen minute mark, impatient with this stupid idea. "You're late," Ino told them. Tsulika jabbed her thumb at Naruto and rolled her eyes. Ino grinned. "Gotcha. Come on in."

They walked inside. Sai, Sakura, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ten-Ten, Neji, Lee, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were already there. Sai looked over and nodded at them. Tsulika shot him a thumbs-up back and he blinked at her. "What's that around your neck?" Sakura asked, seeing the good chain. "I've never seen it."

Tsulika hesitated before pulling the locket out and showing them the picture inside. "Oh my gosh! That is so freaking sweet!" Ino exclaimed, taking it from Tsulika to look at the picture closely. Naruto moved away from the girls and joined his friends. "Hey, Naruto. Who's that?" Lee asked. "Just my girlfriend," Naruto said casually.

"Nice catch."

Naruto grinned as she looked over there, looking excited as the girls looked at the picture, squealing about how cute and sweet it was and how lucky she was. Hinata was hanging back, staring at the girl with her mouth in a hard line. Kiba passed him a glass of wine and he took a sip. "Kiba, goddammit! I said not until we're ready for the party games!" Ino shouted.

Tsulika laughed as the boy denied hearing that rule. "Let's just start the games right now," Chouji suggested. "Then Kiba can get drunk and have a killer hangover the next day." Kiba scowled. "Shut up!" Tsulika, smiling, passed Neji on her way to Naruto's side. He glared at her and she glared back, not trusting anyone from the Hyuuga clan. "Okay, who wants to be the first in the closet?" Ino asked.

Naruto, who had already drained more then his share of alcohol, volunteered first. "But you can't spin the bottle, 'cause I've chosen!" he yelled with slightly slurred words. "Tsulika, come with me!" Naruto demanded, taking her wrist and practically dragging her to the closet. "That's not how it works," Sakura started, but Ino shushed her. "But-"

"SHHH!"

Tsulika blushed as the closet door was closed and locked behind her. "I got the person I wanted," Naruto said. Tsulika realized that he wasn't nearly as drunk as he had let on. "You jerk," she told him. His hands came to rest on her hips and his lips met hers. Her lips parted almost involuntarily and his hands moved up to her neck.

One of his fingers trailed down her throat and she slammed back into the door. There were murmurs and a couple of giggles from outside the door. "What's wrong?" he asked, putting his eyebrows together. "N-Nothing," she muttered, feeling a shiver run through her body. "Tsulika. Tell me what's wrong," he said as she slid to the floor.

"Naruto... I can't..."

She kissed him to distract him and he slowly pulled her closer. His lips moved to her neck and she threw her head back. He was just about to go to her collarbone when there was a knock on the door.

"Time's up!"

Tsulika smiled and stood, actually relieved to get away from him. Ino opened the door a minute later, looking slightly disappointed when none of them looked like they had gotten anywhere but kissing. Sakura remarked, "We thought some crazy shit was happening up in there." Naruto was back to acting drunk. "What happens in the closet stays in the closet!"

The rest of the party was a blur. Naruto actually got drunk, so when the party was over, Tsulika had to help him home. She set him down on the bed. "Wait, Tsulika," he said, catching her hand. "You should totally... Like... Hang right here next to me," he said with a sly grin. "Pervert," Tsulika told him. His grin only widened.

"I really hate you sometimes."

"Don't be like that, baby."

"Don't call me that, Kyuubi."

That sobered him up quickly. He stared at her with a hurt expression and she realized her mistake. "Damn. Naruto, I didn't mean it," she apologized quickly. He pushed her hand away. "Yes, you did. If you really think I'm such a dirty demon, why don't you leave?" Tsulika said, "Naruto, please! I didn't mean any harm!"

"Get the fuck out, Tsulika. To think, the one person who I loved the most turned out to be the biggest bitch in Konoha."

Tsulika flinched at those words. "But, Naruto..." He didn't turn to her and tears started flowing down her cheeks. "Please," she whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He turned his head slightly. "I love you, Naruto, and I really want to stay with you. It was my mistake," she said.

Naruto breathed out. "Well... alright. But you've got to promise that you'll always be mine," he said as her turned to her. "I'm yours," she assured him before kissing him, forcing herself to ignore the alcohol taste. His hands ran up and down her back and she kissed him harder. "Well, if I get kissed like that more often, I'm sure as hell yours, too," he said, dazed from the passionate kiss.

She laughed and pushed him back down on the mattress. "Damn! You look good when I'm drunk," he told her. She rolled her eyes as she went into to kitchen, finding his drunken actions annoying and adorable at the same time. "Hey, Tsulika, can I say that you are the awesomnest girl I know?"

"Shut up and go to sleep. I was wondering if it was a good idea to let you have so much fricking wine."

He collapsed. "You damn drunk mess," she said from the doorway. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd smack you silly." Then she sighed and lay next to him. "Don't think for a moment that this means that I've grown completely attached," she told him. "I just need someone to keep me distracted."

She was tired. And lying to herself. Tsulika yawned and dropped off, oblivious to the man waiting just outside Konoha's north gate.

. . .

"I'm never going to drink again!" Naruto announced for the fifteenth time. "Good. Maybe I'll get a break from your suggestive comments," Tsulika replied, hugging him around the neck. "What did I say?" he asked. "Like you don't know!"

They left his apartment hand-in-hand. "Hey, guys," Sakura said. "Owwwww," Naruto groaned. Tsulika rolled her eyes at the pink-haired kunoichi, who laughed. "So, Naruto, there's another party tonight-"

"No way in hell!"

"Just kidding!"

Tsulika stifled some laughs as he rubbed his temples. "Why don't you have any hangovers?" he asked her. "She didn't drink. Probably figured you'd get wasted," Sakura told him. Sai met them. "Ino acted really weird when we played the game where we went into the closet," he commented. Tsulika by her tongue as Sakura laughed.

"That really proves you know nothing about parties, Sai," Naruto told him. "I asked her to explain it, but she just kept giggling. I'm still confused," Sai confessed. "Obviously," Tsulika said before slamming a hand over her mouth. Sakura turned to her. "What? Did you just... speak?"

"Um... Maybe..."

Her jaw dropped and Tsulika looked away. She was quickly destroying her record as 'Silent Treatment'. Naruto jokingly pulled her into a headlock. "She speaks all the time around me, right, Tsulika?" She suddenly fainted in terror, feeling his arm around her neck. "Whoa! Tsulika!" Naruto said, catching her. Sai knelt next to them and Sakura began to check her temperature and pulse.

"She perfectly fine. I don't see why she fainted," Sakura said, confused. Tsulika's eyes opened. "What was that?" Naruto asked her, trying to hide his relief. She pulled herself out of his arms. Her heart was still pounding from his arm around her. "Are you alright?" he asked, reaching forward to touch her face. She flinched away instinctively.

Naruto pulled his hand back quickly. She was scared of him. All those years of being stared at like a freak came back into his head. He stood up and turned away, wondering how this could've happened. Tsulika watched with a mixture of terror and regret. How could she have just felt terror for a boy who had never done her harm?

She rose and turned in the opposite direction before striding off. Sai and Sakura looked at each other. "I'll go see what I can do about her," Sakura said before going after Tsulika. Sai followed Naruto so that everyone could have a lovely chat.

. . .

"What the hell was that?" Sakura asked, ignoring Tsulika's looks. She followed the girl all the way to her apartment, where the door was slammed in her face. "C'mon, Tsulika! Tell me," Sakura urged. "I SCARED OF HIM!" she shouted. "HAPPY?" Sakura whistled, not seeing this coming. "Why? He's a good person."

"You don't think I know that? He's never done anything bad to me, but... I can't say the reason why."

"Get over it. Believe it or not, Naruto needs you. You should have seen how he was when he thought you were dead. He was a totally different person. Always dark and gloomy. Just... do us a favor and make sure he never goes like that again."

Footsteps announced her departure and Tsulika thought, 'I promised him that I'd be his... Because I love him. But...' Her heart raced and she shut her eyes. "I don't believe myself! Why am I having this done to me?" she asked her apartment. It didn't answer and she swore. 'I'm going to have to find my way through this on my own.'

. . .

"I hate her."

Naruto was confused and outraged. "I love you! I'm yours! I don't care about the fox! God damn her! She can go to hell!" Sai watched him pace. "Naruto, she's just overwhelmed. There's men out there trying to kill her, and she just needs some space."

"I don't give a damn! I can't believe I fell for her!"

Sai sighed. "That's the thing, though. You're in love with her and she's in love with you. Shouldn't you try to do something?" Naruto scowled. "No. If she wants to explain, she can come herself!"

"Well, I'm here."

They turned to see Tsulika. "Sai, could you please..." He stood and left. "I can't believe you," Naruto told her. "You're angry," she said. "Yes, I'm fucking angry! You suddenly become terrified of me for no reason! Go to hell!" She stepped forward until her face was an inch from his. "Stop," he said, pushing her away. "You obviously don't like me. Just... Go away. Please."

"I love you too much to do that."

"Stop lying! Just stop!"

Tsulika murmured, "I'm not." He pushed her away forcefully. "I don't think we should be together anymore. Sorry I'm so scary," he told her. She watched as he waked away. Tears filled her eyes and she yelled, "No, I'm sorry for believing that you would actually stick with a girl for more than a week!"

They went to their apartments and slid down their doors. Tsulika was still crying and Naruto was cursing himself. "I still love her," he said aloud. "Why can't the hurt just leave?" Tsulika hated the fact that her nightmare had caused this. It was all her fault.

She rose and looked up at her ceiling. 'So much for love,' she thought bitterly as the sun started to sink.

. . .

OMG NO! T.T

I've very violently murdered their relationship. Damn me!

This chapter was a little... Dark. Sorry about that.

Review!


	13. Strengths and Weaknesses

Silence

Chapter thirteen

Hey! I felt so bad for making Hinata the bad guy. I love her and she's awesome, but it would only seem right that she and Tsulika get off on the wrong start... I really do like Hinata, so don't flame me for what I believe my character would do! Please?

~Strengths and Weaknesses~

Tsulika went to Ichiraku's out of habit. Naruto was there, but he wasn't eating. "Tsulika," he said curtly. She walked past without glancing at him. It was day three of their break-up, and nothing was going well. She went back into silence, ignoring everybody around her and going back to her studies, which she had left since she started spending time with Naruto.

The thing was, the studies weren't nearly as compelling as they were before. She had learned something from Naruto and the nine-tails. Strength wasn't having any weaknesses, whether it be ties, emotions, or anything else. Strength was having the courage to face those weaknesses. Just like with Naruto and the nine-tails.

She leapt up onto a rooftop and lay back, keeping her gaze fixed on the clouds. Tsulika had forced herself to think nothing of the break-up. People did it all the time. She rolled over and closed her eyes, but not before she sensed a presence. "What are you doing here, Hyuuga?" she asked without looking. First time she had spoken in three days, wasted on one of her enemies. Perfect.

"I-I'm sorry," Hinata stammered. That shocked Tsulika and she sat up to look at her. "I'm the reason you and N-Naruto broke up... D-Don't even try d-denying it." The ROOTS member sighed. "No, I will deny it, because it's not your fault. You're just some bitch who I met. This has nothing to do with you, so I suggest you keep your pretty little nose out of this situation."

The girl backed off at the possible threat, but she wasn't done. "I s-sure hope you think a-about this. He's a-absolutely m-miserable, you know. I don't kn-know what you did, b-but I know what he f-feels..." Tsulika watched as she leapt off the roof of the building. 'I'm waiting for him... I'm scared,' she realized. She was afraid of the rejection and of his harsh words. It stung.

She closed her eyes and pretty soon, she was fast asleep on the rooftop.

. . .

_She woke up in a daze. "What..." A familiar voice said, "Shh. Rest." Her eyes only opened wider. "How-" She was cut off by his fingertips. Shin came into the light and looked over her. "So beautiful," he murmured. "How are you here?" she asked. "That doesn't matter. It only matters that we're together," he murmured as his lips brushed against hers. _

_She gasped at the familiar touch. His silver hair tickled her cheeks as he deepened the kiss, leaning over her. "I love you," Tsulika said when he broke it. He looked into her eyes and asked, "What about Naruto?" She flinched and said, "Naruto no longer cares. I went after him and he denied me. You're the one I want."_

_He kissed her again before taking her hand. "Come on. There's something I've got to show you." She intertwined their fingers and they started off. He lead her into a dark room and she turned around. "Why are we here?" There was no answer and she realized that he had vanished. _

_Suddenly, there were two hands on her hips. She turned around to see Naruto. "Tsulika," he said, voice thick. His hands went to her hair and he kissed her once more on the lips. She struggled and twisted, but he didn't let up. "Stop. I'm not going to hurt you," he told her as she pushed him away. "This shouldn't hurt at all."_

_Her eyes widened as he drew a kunai and stabbed at her stomach..._

... Tsulika woke as someone slapped her sharply across the face. "Bitch! Listen to me!" snarled a familiar voice. She opened her eyes to see Kioky. "Little Nira... You thought you could escape us forever, huh? I've got news for you, Sweetheart. You can't."

Tsulika, ignoring this, said, "Where are we?" Sinefe replied, "In your boyfriend's apartment." She took a deep breath to scream, but Kioky slapped a hand over her mouth. "It's no use. He won't hear you." She started to murmur things under her breath. "That's better," he told her before turning to Sinefe. "In case you haven't noticed, we're doing this so he'll find you first. He'll let the nine-tails lose in all his fury, and Sinefe and I have a plan to capture the beast and give him to the Akatsuki for a bounty."

"You're bounty hunters."

"In a way, yes."

She tried to sit up as Sinefe came there with a sharpened kunai in his hand. "Don't worry; this shouldn't hurt at all," he told her as the blade pierced her stomach.

. . .

When Naruto opened the door to his apartment, he wasn't expecting to see a girl's body lying on the floor. Neither did he expect it to be a very injured Tsulika. "Oh, damn!" he said, running to her side. He picked her up, cradling her head in his arms. Her eyes opened, but they were unfocused and cloudy. "Stay alive," he told her as he took off his jacket and pressed it to her wound to stop the bleeding.

Tsulika's lips moved. "Naruto..."

"Shh! Don't speak! Just keep your silence!"

She ignored his orders. "You... You know I love you, right?" He snapped, "I know! Just shut up!" She smiled and said, "Do you love me?" Starting to get worried, Naruto said, "Would I lie to you? I've said it before, but now we need to get you in the hospital!"

"Say it."

"We don't have time-"

"Please?"

He looked over her. "I love you." She smiled before letting out a breath. Naruto gasped as he realized that she was letting go... she was dying in his arms. "No! Tsulika, please, don't..." Naruto had a feeling that this would be wrong, but he took the kunai handle and ripped it out of her. Her eyes opened from the shock of being in so much pain.

Naruto then grabbed her pack and searched through it before finding the syringe. He injected the medicine into her neck. The drug found the cut and went to work healing it. Tsulika once again found her ability to breath. "Thank God," Naruto murmured as he hugged her to him. "Thank God."

She held him back, closing her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Tsulika. I won't ever go away again," he promised. "It's my fault. They somehow made me dream a really bad dream about you. It also happened just before they tried to kill me." She had her eyes closed. "I love you," he told her again, placing his lips on her jawline. She murmured it back and kissed him gratefully.

"Should we get a medical-nin, or-"

"No. I want to stay here, with you."

She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. "You're not scared anymore?" She shook her head, feeling lighter and better already. "Our mission begins tomorrow," he reminded her. Tsulika nodded sleepily, to tired to talk. "Let's get you out of those bloody clothes," he said, standing. He gave her a tee-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. She changed and left the bathroom yawning.

Naruto took her hand and they crawled into the bed together. He reached over and put his fingertips on her eyelids to shut them. "Go to sleep." She did, gratefully curling into his chest. He brought her closer, looking down at her with adoring eyes. 'As long as we're together, we can survive anything.'

. . .

The next day, they had their mission. It was a rainy day out, which was the opposite of Tsulika's emotion. She looked down at Naruto's hand in hers and happiness bubbled up. Naruto had been antsy all day. 'Probably nervous,' Tsulika thought, tightening her grip.

They met up with the rest of their team. Kiba, Hinata, and Shino were going, too. Tsulika looked over at the shy girl and offered her a small smile in apology. The girl nodded ever so slightly to show her forgiveness.

"You all know that the goal. To find Sasuke and possibly the Akatsuki. Let's go," Kakashi said. They started off, trying not to think of how the first mission went. "Okay, stop here," Kakashi commanded several miles away. They stumbled to a halt. "I'm going to give you each a nin-dog so we can reach each other from far distances. Do not approach Sasuke if you see him. Tsulika, would you please work with Sai on this one?" She nodded her answer and Kakashi summoned several dogs. The two ROOTS members stood side-by-side with the two nin-dogs.

"Good luck to you all."

They leapt away. "Keep up with us," one of the dogs barked. "Alright, Pooch," Sai replied. Tsulika lifted a hand to her forehead. "Don't be giving me pet names," he growled. Sai fell quiet and Tsulika got to his side and offered him a smile. They searched for an hour before an explosion came in the distance. Tsulika and Sai tumbled to a halt and turned to see a white pronged-shaped figure rising up in the sky.

"I think we're going to have to check that out," Sai said, starting off. Tsulika followed as he took out his scroll and drew a bird. The dogs leapt on and she boarded last. Sai made the bird fly in the direction of their teammates. Tsulika kept her eyes open for them and eventually grabbed his arm and pointed to a group of people in a clearing. "That's them," Sai said, letting the bird glide towards the ground.

She leapt off before the creature touched the ground. There was a man with an orange mask standing there. He had on a black robe with red clouds on it. Tsulika's eyes widened as she stared at the very possible S-ranked criminal standing before them and one word came to mind.

'Akatsuki.'

. . .

Sorry for the short chapter. The first part was good, the second part was crappy. :/

Thanks for reading and reviewing! ^^


	14. Later

Silence

Chapter fourteen

Hey. Sorry about this chapter. The next one will be a lot better.

Naruto: Sure it will.

Shut up! DX

~Later~

"GOD DAMN IT! SHE WON'T STAY DEAD!"

Sinefe was practically ripping his hair out as he paced around the room. Kioky and Finina watched, not saying anything. "I'm going to kill that bitch when I find her! I'll grab her by her slim little throat and do it myself!"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Everyone turned to see who it was and instantly stiffened. It was an old man with a cane. "You still haven't gotten rid of the subject," he stated obviously. "D-Danzo," stammered Sinefe, eyes wide. "Sh-She's been evasive..."

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

This statement was quiet, but it still shut him up. "I know that she's going to be hard to get to. She's a ROOTS member; it won't take much for her to escape. Yet, she's only a girl. A grown man should be able to outweigh her in a fight."

"She's felt pain that I've never known, and it makes her stronger! As long as she's got her friends, she'll keep fighting!"

Danzo mused on that. "If that's the case, crush her friends." Finina gasped. "But they haven't done anything wrong! And one's the nine-tails! How are we to kill him?" The elderly man replied, "I don't expect you to. I know that your only motivation is money, and you have past ties with the Akatsuki. Talk to them about it. It shouldn't take much... convincing."

Kioky murmured, "That may be so, but how will we know they'll cooperate?"

"They'll get the kyuubi. Just make sure you kill the last of the Hishnit clan. I will get my revenge for my wife."

Sinefe snorted. "That's what you get if you marry. Hurt." Danzo looked over at him. "You've never seen a woman who fits your needs. Stay quiet." Sinefe shut his mouth, even though a bitter retort was forming. "I'm trusting you'll do as I say. There is a lot of money hanging in the balance."

Kioky watched as the man left. "Well, we're screwed," he said. "Not yet," said Finina. "I can speak with Kisame. I'm sure he knows something of their leader." Sinefe smiled. "You do that. I'd prefer the Uchiha, but I figure he's about to die. Sasuke's getting closer and closer to his strength. And with Orochimaru along... things won't be getting prettier."

Then he pushed off the wall. "Let's go. We have criminals to chat with."

. . .

The Akatsuki member was basically a joke. He didn't harm any of them, just surprised them when he popped out of nowhere and whipped at them with sticks. The only interesting ability he possessed was when Naruto went right through his body. Kakashi had ordered Kiba and Naruto to retreat. They were staring at him now. Tsulika blinked as a man burst from the tree branch.

"Zetsu! How'd it go?"

"Uchiha Itachi... has been killed by Uchiha Sasuke."

"Really, now? I wasn't expecting that!"

The man with the orange mask turned to them. "I'll expect," he said on a deeper voice, "that I'll be seeing you later." They disappeared and Kakashi said quietly, "We need to find him. Quickly." The teens followed him and Yamato. "There," Kakashi said.

Black flames were surrounding a destroyed area. "Amaterasu," Kakashi said. 'Illuminating heaven,' Tsulika thought. The black flames were still burning. "Yamato." The man split the land the flames were on and they continued on without him. As they entered what was presumably the battle area, they saw a single part of the wall that was left standing. Neither of the Uchihas were around.

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked around. He went up to the wall and placed his hands flat against it before kneeling. "I didn't even get a try this time!" Tsulika grit her teeth to stop the sudden feeling of sadness that overwhelmed her. "Naruto," she heard Sai murmur quietly behind her.

They stood there for a minute. The rain stopped and sunlight burst through the clouds. "Let's go," said Kakashi eventually. They headed back towards Yamato. He took one look at their faces and sighed, releasing the jutsu. Tsulika glanced at Naruto, who hadn't spoken since they had been up there.

She moved to his side and took his hand. "Let's go home," she said, smiling a small smile. He straightened up. "Let's."

. . .

A week after they got back to Konoha, Tsulika was lying in her bed. She hadn't spoken to Narto in two days, and that made her feel weird. Like something bad was about to happen. There was a knock on her door. She looked over and stood up, checking the peephole to see who it was. A familiar black-haired boy stood there. Tsulika opened the door.

"Lady Tsunade wants to see us."

With that, he walked away. Tsulika looked down at her clothes- a wrinkled black T-shirt and a grey jean skirt- and sighed. She looked like crap, and that's how Sai expected her to see the Hokage. "Hurry," he called over his shoulder. She wrinkled her nose at him before following.

They were the first ones in her office. "Why have you summoned us?" Sai asked. "We have to wait until everyone else gets here," Tsunade replied. There was a frog sitting in the room. Tsulika blinked as she remembered Naruto saying something about his summon being a frog, just like his master's. 'Jiraiya,' thought Tsulika, remembering his name. Sakura and Yamato walked in next. She looked about as confused as they felt.

Finally, Naruto entered with Kakashi. "What's this?" he asked as he saw them. He then turned his attention to the frog. "What the hell? An old geezer frog?" Tsunade snapped, "Naruto, be polite! This is one of the great toad elders!" Tsulika exchanged a glance with the rest of her peers. "What happened?" Naruto asked.

"Jaraiya-boy... has perished in battle."

Everyone's look turned into a shocked one. 'Another one of the legendary sannin... has died?' Tsulika asked herself. Several emotions crossed Naruto's face before he turned away. He stopped in front of the door. "He should've been Hokage. At least he wouldn't have let someone go alone if it was to fight," Naruto said, turning to glare at Tsunade out of the corner of his eye.

He walked out, slamming the door behind him. Tsulika immediately started after him, but Sakura caught her arm. "He'll have to work it out on his own. Stay put." Tsulika did as she was told, but she hardly registered the rest of the conversation. She knew that he cared for Jaraiya deeply, and losing him was going to be hard for the boy. As soon as the Hokage dismissed them, she was running to Naruto's apartment. She knocked on the door for a minute straight, but no one answered.

"Naruto?" she asked, stepping in. The apartment was empty. She went outdo the balcony and looked out across Konoha. "Where did he go?" Tsulika muttered angrily before leaving the apartment and traveling through the streets of Konoha. She broke her vow of silence even more by asking some people if they'd seen him. No one had.

Tsulika searched in vain until twilight. She saw him sitting with a brown-haired man. The man patted his shoulder before striding past her. "You may want to be getting home, Miss. It's dark," he said. She shrugged it off and went to Naruto's side quickly, coming to a stop a few feet away from him.

They didn't speak for awhile. "I'm sorry," Tsulika murmured after a little while. He didn't reply as he stared at the ground. She didn't know whether she should walk closer, so she stayed put. "It'll get better," she tried to assure him. "No, it won't," he replied icily.

"Sure it will!"

"Just stop. Please."

Silence fell before Tsulika said, "I'll be at home... if you need me." She turned and strode away, more worried than anything else. Naruto wasn't acting like himself. 'But I suppose that's understandable. He just lost someone he cared for.'

She entered her apartment and stared into the darkness with a sigh. It felt empty without Naruto there. Empty and cold. She got ready for bed and climbed in, too tired to eat. 'Tomorrow, I'll find a way to cheer him up. There has to be one way.'

. . .

The next morning, Tsulika was woken up by a voice shouting her name. She sat straight up before going to the door. Naruto stood there, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You're up early," she commented. "It's almost noon," he replied. Her eyes widened in horror, but he was already explaining his good mood. "I'm going to train where Pervy Sage trained!"

"Oh."

"You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Well, I woke up a minute ago to the shocking news that it was noon. I'm still trying to figure that out."

He shrugged and continued on. "I'll be gone for several months, and-" Tsulika cut him off with, "MONTHS?" He paused and sighed, "Oh, Tsulika, I'm gonna miss you, too. But don't worry; when I get back, you're going to be the first person I go see. I swear," he told her. She stepped forward and Naruto wrapped her in his arms. "I've got to get going," he murmured into her ear.

"Bye," she whispered back, feeling lonely already. "No, not bye. Later," he said with a smile. "Get dressed. I want you to see us off." She did as he asked. He was still there when she got back out. Their fingers interlaced as they walked. "Remember: you, me, Ichiraku's. As soon as I'm back home," he said, cradling her face tenderly in his hands. "Yeah."

He kissed her gently on the lips before moving away. "Later, Tsulika! I love you!" She was about to call back, but the frog had already started speaking. Tsulika turned around, biting the insides of her cheek. She went through Konoha mindlessly until she ran into Yamato. "Oh, there you are," he said. She waited. "Lady Tsunade wants you. Come on."

She followed him while looking in the direction she had last seen Naruto. 'At least I'll have missions to keep me busy. And I still have friends here.' There was a hesitant call of, "Tsulika?" She jumped and turning to Yamato. "Are you alright?" She nodded and they started walking again. 'Good bye, Naruto. And good luck.'

. . .

When Tsunade was done explaining the mission, Tsulika went to Sai's apartment. "Yes?" he asked as he opened the door. "I came to brag," she told him with a nod. "Why?"

"'Cause I got a solo mission! From the Hokage!"

"We get them all the time."

She slumped her shoulders. "You really take the fun out of it, you know." He shrugged and Tsulika stiffened as she noticed something behind him. Sai turned and saw a masked woman. "You two will need to report to Lord Danzo immediately," she said in a flat voice. "Why?" Sai asked as Tsulika's hand went to her kunai. "You two are going back to the arena."

Tsulika felt a shiver run through her. "Who's our opponents?" he pressed on. The woman replied in the same voice as before.

"Each other."

. . .

Sorry for the later update. I had extreme writer's block. -.-'

Review! Please?


	15. Heartbeat

Silence

Chapter fifteen

Hey! This is chapter two the way Shin sees it! 3

The reason I'm not continuing with the regular story is because I like to see you squirm. XD I'm mean! Enjoy!

~Heartbeat~

"Attention: the Hishnit clan has just been murdered. Go back to your rooms until further notice."

A four-year-old boy with silver hair looked up. He wasn't sure what to make of this sudden news. Partially because he didn't understand it, partially because he was busy carving a wooden sword. An older ROOTS member grabbed his wrist and took him back to his room, shared with several others of his peers.

They were silent and gathered around the single window. A long time passed before some older members walked by, carrying a small girl. She had flat red hair and a tattered dress on, and she was bloody. 'She's very pretty,' the boy noticed. There were several murmurs from his peers, but he kept his eyes on the girl until she disappeared from view. 'I wonder who she is?'

The next week passed uneventfully until she showed up on the girl's side of the cafeteria. After breakfast was over, he found her. "Hello, there," he said brightly. She gave him a blank stare and he smiled. "What was your name?" There was a long silence before she whispered, "Nira."

"Cool! Hey, you wanna go play-fight?"

For a minute, it looked like she might accept. Then she shook her head. "Go away. I don't talk to strangers," the little girl said before she turned away. The boy was taken aback by her snappishness. "Well... okay! But if you change your mind, come and see me!"

Nira (as she was formerly known) didn't come get him. He waited a full year for her to accept and go play, but she never did. When he turned six, another boy joined him. He had black hair, black eyes, and looked absolutely terrified. "Hey, there," said the boy. "What was your name?" The other boy didn't answer and instead bit his lip. "It's alright; you can tell me!"

"I... I don't remember. They said I have a concussion..."

"Oh. Well, that's too bad."

"What should I call you?" the black-haired boy asked. He pondered on that. "How 'bout Shin? It's alright. Just don't let anyone hear you calling me that or some bad things are going to happen," said the newly named Shin. "Alright," said his roommate. "Can we be... friends?"

"Friends? They aren't allowed."

Noticing the look on his face, Shin added, "But I was never one for rules! Yeah, let's be friends. Just don't ask any girls. That's definitely not allowed. I think your training will start tomorrow. Be prepared; it's tough and doesn't get better."

"Thanks for the help."

Shin laughed as he fell asleep. This kid still had emotions, so he would be coming back with wounds and complaints. Those would stop eventually, though. Shin sighed in his sleep. It was always the worst when you began.

. . .

Over the next two years, Shin started calling his roommate 'Brother'. He always said this around the redhead. She would shoot them an annoyed, hostile look before going off. That's why he did it: it annoyed her, and that meant she had emotions. They were nearing their first kill, which happened when they were ten.

That's when the real trouble began.

"Brother," asked the dark-haired boy, "why do you bother that girl so much?" Shin replied, "Because it's fun!"

"I don't think so."

"No?"

"Don't you like her?"

Shin felt a blush rise to his face. "She's very pretty," his brother commented. "Yeah. She sure is... I-I mean, she's alright." The younger boy fell silent for a moment before asking, "Do you think we're going to have to fight each other?"

"I hope not. That'd be terrible."

"Yes."

They were silent for a long time before Shin looked over and noticed the boy had slumped over on the floor. He laughed quietly and picked him up. After he was laying down on his cot, Shin crawled into his own. "I don't want to kill you... or her."

. . .

He didn't have to go against either of them. His opponent was a boy with black hair and brown eyes. After he was defeated, Shin felt clammy all over. He had just taken a human life. The boy had barely had time to think as the kuni had gone through his chest. Shin retched, utterly situated with himself.

When he left the arena, he saw the girl watching him curiously. He wide blue eyes met his before she turned away, flipping her long red locks- which had obtained some curl- over her shoulder as she did so. "Hey! Hey... You!" he shouted, running after her. She had disappeared, so he slowed down. "Where'd she go?" he snarled, leaning forward to place his hands on his knees. "Brother?" asked the boy as he came up beside him.

"I can't believe her!"

He blinked at Shin's angry outburst. "I keep trying and trying to become friends, but where does it get me? No where! I should just stop trying!" The boy stood there, no smile on his face. "And you!" Shin snapped. "They've already got you unsmiling! Who the hell do you think you are! Going off and deciding that you're going to stop emoting!"

The nine-year-old suddenly burst into loud tears. Shin sucked in a breath and looked around. "Please, Brother, be quiet... they'll hear you! I didn't mean it! Um... Crap... C'mon, please? I'm sorry!" The boy wiped his eyes and Shin patted his shoulder with a smile. "It's alright," he said, still sniffing. "I guess they haven't gotten all the emotion out of you yet," Shin said, secretly relieved.

"Not yet."

They started walking back to their dorm. Shin stopped halfway there and looked around to see the tips of red hair disappearing around a tree, almost like a fox running away.

. . .

Shin couldn't stop his heart when he was around her. The fourteen-year-old smiled when he saw the redhaired girl and his heartbeat sped up. She would still give him that annoyed look, but it was more playful than serious. Even he knew that.

Apart from his brother, she was the only thing he thought about. He remembered watching her in the arena. She was fast, that was for sure. When she was fighting, he couldn't take his eyes off of the arena. There were many close calls. He would almost stand up out of his seat when that happened.

His brother would look up every so often before returning to his sketch. Shin hated how calm he could be, but he didn't say anything that might upset the boy, even though he wondered if that was even possible anymore. Shin looked over him, biting his bottom lip.

"Brother..."

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

The dark haired boy responded, "I'm perfectly alright. Why?" Shin shook his head. "Never mind. It's stupid," he said with a nervous chuckle. His brother's eyes narrowed. "You're not allowed to laugh. It's illegal."

"What? You gonna tell, goody-goody?"

The boy fell silent and Shin looked out the window. His thoughts traveled to the girl. He felt his heart start pounding and he wondered what she would do if he pressed in and trailed his lips against hers... slowly and sweetly, until she kissed him back... Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

His brother looked at him over his sketchbook. Then he slowly went back to drawing. He didn't want to be involved in this little phase his brother was going through, so he simply didn't.

. . .

(Two years later)

Shin still hadn't grown out of the 'phase'. Now the girl was warming up a little to him, and that was great for him. He could finally try and speak to her without knowing that she would flat-out refuse. She would meet his eyes shyly before turning away, a short smile on her lips. It always faded immediately, but he caught it.

And it made him feel like flying.

His brother continued to lose emotions. Shin felt worried about him and was desperately trying to make him laugh, yell, or even cry. He succeeded once, but it was short and surprised the fifteen-year-old. Shin was caught between his brother and the girl. One night, while his brother was sleeping, he noticed that a girl was walking out in the moonlight.

It was her.

He glanced at his still unconscious brother before opening the window and jumping down. He made his way to the training grounds. She was training, twisting to strike at invisible enemies and leaping to dodge imaginary counter-attacks. Then she noticed him and stopped.

"Hey," he said, leaning against a tree to act like he was fine with talking to her. Her cheeks turned a reddish-pink color. "Hello." He took a deep, calming breath. "I've wanted you to join my brother and I for some time now. You keep pushing us away. Why?"

Shin strode closer, making her back into a tree. The blush spread across her face and she whispered, "All I think about is you." He smiled and murmured, "All I think about is you, too." His lips gently collided with hers. As his eyes closed, he realized that the kiss he'd been wanting was finally coming true.

And it was better than he'd ever imagined.

. . .

A few weeks later, Shin was running some documents to the main building. When he was passing the door where Danzo stayed, he heard someone say, "But Nira must be killed. The money rests on that." Shin stopped short. 'Wasn't her name Nira?'

"I know. I'll make sure her experiment... goes wrong."

His chest tightened. He left the papers on the ground and took off towards his dorm. When he got there, he packed his few possessions. "What are you doing?" Shin looked over to see his brother standing there watching him.

"They're going to kill her. I can't..."

Shin couldn't go on. "You're going away," he said. "Yeah. I am," said Shin. "But I want you to come. Please, Brother," he said. The boy looked away before nodding. "Alright." He got packed up also and Shin slipped out the window with him. They met up with her a the usual spot and introductions were made.

"You're going to be experimented on," he told her when they were ready to leave. "Meet us here at three A.M." He gave her a short kiss on the lips before turning away.

If he had known it would be their last one, he would've made it longer.

. . .

They were making their way back to the meeting place when some kunai struck the tree near their heads. "Run!" Shin snapped as he pushed his brother. "Warn her!" The boy took off as eight more ROOTS members dropped from the trees. He moved around so they couldn't follow him. "We're going to have to kill you now. You do realize that, right?"

Shin smiled. "Good luck." They wasted no time in taking him down, like he knew they would. As they led him to the arena, he didn't fight too much. There were multiple sharp points pressed against his skin. He was thrown into the dirt and he stayed there and waited for five minutes until they threw someone else in.

His eyes widened as he looked down at the girl he had tried so hard to gain trust from. She looked up and their eyes met. "You shall fight to the death," Danzo said. She whimpered, "N-No... Please! I-"

Shin stood up and helped her to her feet while murmuring comforting words. When she stood up, he pulled back. "Fight." He grabbed one of his giant shuriken and she drew her katana. Their weapons clashed and the blade sliced an inch away from him.

He spun and held her wrists. Then he allowed her to slip away. He blade spun around and in a split-second decision, he stayed put and allowed the sword slice into his stomach.

It hurt more than he imagined it would. Then he heard her scream, "NO!" There were more screams from her as he curled up, trying to breath. The last thing he heard was her scream of, "I LOVE YOU!" Satisfied, Shin closed his eyes and sighed out his last breath.

. . .

Hey! Was it better or worse than Tsulika's version? I thought it was better. Also, take the polls on my profile, please! I'd love to see what you think! Review! ^^


	16. I'm Glad You Came

Silence

Chapter sixteen

I don't own Naruto nor the song! Tsulika, would you do the honors?

Tsulika: ...

Dammit! You can talk to them, they've already read that you can.

Tsulika: Yeah, what she said is true. Happy?

Yup! Enjoy!

~I'm Glad You Came~

Tsulika's face paled. Sai seemed shocked as well, but he replied, "Of course. We'll be there in a minute." The woman disappeared and Sai turned to look at Tsulika. "What're we going to do?" she asked, shivering. "We can't do anything. We're going to have to fight," Sai replied.

Her hand went to the locket and her fingers closed around it. "We'd better get going," Sai said as he pushed past her. She followed him, eyes averted. 'I don't want to kill Sai... but then what about Naruto?' As they entered through the member's entrance, Sai asked, "Do you think we could convince him to put us against others?"

She remembered what had happened. She had swung her katana at him. Sadly, she shook her head. Tsulika felt Sai's eyes staring at her head, but he didn't say anything. They opened the door, walked to the middle of the room, and knelt.

"You two got the message," Danzo said. "Yes, Sir," Sai replied. Tsulika kept her eyes on the floor. "I'm thinking that you two will fight in two days," he continued. Sai hesitated before asking, "May we fight against others?"

"Others?"

"As in, not against each other."

"Is there a problem with that?"

There was a long silence. Danzo nodded, satisfied. "Dismissed." They stood and left in silence. Tsulika was keeping her eyes down, feeling tears burning behind her eyelids. They went their separate ways without speaking. Tsulika felt numb. It was either kill her friend or never see Naruto again. Both of those ideas scared her.

She crawled into bed and buried her face into her arms, biting her lip. There was going to be some bad stuff happening soon.

. . .

_A field full of flowers._

_That's where Tsulika was standing. He hair was loose and she wore a white gown. Somebody shouted her name and she looked to see Naruto. "Tsulika!" he called again, waving his arms. He was in white, too. The rest of her team was there, clothed with the same color. _

_They looked amazing and were all smiling wide smiles- even Sai. Tsulika went over to them, curving her lips upward. Naruto's fingers laced with hers. "C'mon! We've got a special day planned out!" he said, linking their arms. She was pulled onto the bank of a sparkling, crystal-clear blue lake. "Oh," she gasped, looking across the water. There was a quaint little dock there._

_"Isn't it beautiful, Tsulika?"_

_Naruto was beaming and pulling her towards the dock, but a sudden feeling washed over her and she dug her heels in. "It's not safe," she said in a voice that was it her own. "Of course it is! See, Sai's on there-"_

_The wood snapped and the pale boy went under. In split second, Naruto was in there after him. Tsulika tried to scream for him, but he was already beneath the surface. _

_And she knew that they weren't coming back up._

_Desperately, she tried to throw herself into the lake, but it turned to dry land. The rest of the team vanished and her gown turned to an ANBU outfit. She suddenly gasped and rolled as a tanto sliced y her side._

_Sai was waiting, pulling his tanto out of the dirt. "S-Sai!" she cried, standing up. His blade sliced at her stomach and she leapt out of the way. "Stop!" He was silent as his lunged. She drew her katana and the weapons clashed. "Damn it, Sai! Leave it alone!" she yelled, pushing him. _

_He cut her shoulder and she cried out, falling to the ground. Then she took her weapon and stood. Sai wasn't expecting her quick recovery. He tried to leap back, but she tripped him. Then she drew a kunai and threw it a his chest, as if someone else was controlling her..._

_Suddenly, she was in white snow. Gasping, she looked around. Tears were streaming down her face. "What's wrong, Nira?" asked a familiar voice. She looked up to see Naruto, back in his regular clothes. "What happened to Sai?" she demanded, forgetting her vow of silence. "Sai? Who's Sai?" he asked, blinking in surprise. _

_She stumbled backwards. "You don't know who I'm talking about? The pale one who came to replace Sasuke on Team Kakashi? I came with him? We betrayed you by going with Orochimaru and tried to kill Sasuke! And then we decided to help you! Why don't you remember?"_

_Naruto walked forwards, resting a hand on her forehead. "Are you alright? You don't seem too well," he said. "Orochimaru's dead and why would we need to bring Sasuke back? He's always been here." Tsulika whispered, "Then how'd I get here?" Naruto smirked._

_"Well, you see, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much- what's wrong?"_

_Tsulika was terribly confused. "You've been a member of Konoha since you were born. We're dating, remember?" She asked, "What about the Kyuubi?" Naruto seemed taken aback. "What the hell's a Kyuubi? Maybe you should see your family," Naruto said. She noticed that he didn't have the whisker-like markings on his face anymore. _

_She stood up and he walked her through the forest. They got to what she assumed to be the campsite and she realized that two more of her teammates were missing. "Where's Sakura and Captain Yamato?" she asked. "What's with her?" Sasuke asked grumpily. _

_"Shut up! She's just tired!"_

_Kakashi appeared. "Hello," he said, smiling. "Hello Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled back. Tsulika suddenly turned to Sasuke. "Your brother!" He blinked, as did all the other males. "What about him?" _

_"You want to take care of him! He killed your whole clan?"_

_"Huh?"_

_Kakashi asked, "What's wrong, Nira?" She was about to say something else, but cut herself off. "Nira?" Kakashi said, "Nira. That's your name." It all made sense now. She was in a dream. It was most definitely a fucked-up dream, but it was a dream. _

_Suddenly, Kakashi's head snapped up. "Rogues!" he said. In seconds, they were immersed into battle. Tsulika started fighting by instinct. They were outnumbered, but only slightly. Tsulika took care of her enemy before Naruto shouted, "Nira!" He threw himself in front of her and a kunai hit his chest_. "Naruto!" she screamed as she sat up out of bed.

She leaned forward, placing her head into her hands. Then she started sobbing. The dream was too realistic. She continued to sob before looking at the clock. 'Three A.M.,' she thought. 'I should get some more rest.' She couldn't, though. The dream might come back.

'Oh, Naruto, how I miss you already...'

With a sigh, she got up and get dressed. It was raining outside, but she didn't mind the rain. She left the apartment complex and started walking. She passed a club with music blaring out and didn't look back. No one bothered her, but she still wished that the boy was next to her.

"You couldn't sleep, either?"

She gasped and whirled around to see Sai. "No." They stood there in an awkward silence until Sai said, "When we fight, I'm going to show you my throat." Tsulika felt herself stiffen. "What?" Sai murmured, "You have Naruto to live for. I don't want to take that away."

"B-But Sai... that's not much!"

"It's more then I have. I want you to live."

Her eyes teared up. "I can't change your mind?" He shook his head. "You can't change my mind. I'm ready to die." Her stomach tightened. "I'll make it quick. And painless," she said. He smiled- a real one, but it was sad. "I know." Tsulika sighed as she looked away. "I hate Danzo." Sai didn't reply and she continued on her way.

She leapt on top of a roof to some shop. The radio was playing quietly, but she could still here it.

_The sun goes down_

_The stars come out_

_And all that counts_

_Is here right now_

_My universe_

_Will never be the same_

_I'm glad you came..._

_I'm glad you came._

She closed her eyes and listened to the music. She had the chorus memorized already. It soothed her. After the radio switched to a different song, she got up and left. With a sigh, she leapt down and went back to her apartment, where she lay down and stared at the ceiling. The song was resting in her head over and over.

_I'm glad you came..._

_I'm glad you came._

. . .

The day of the fight, Tsulika woke with a horrible, twisting feeling in her gut. She knew that she was going to murder someone that day, and it made her want to throw up. She got out of bed and got ready numbly. Their fight would begin at nine A.M.

She couldn't eat. It was 8:45 when she pushed her bowl of oatmeal across the table and let it smash on the floor. 'At least I'll be alive to clean it up,' she thought bitterly. She met Sai as he was leaving his apartment, but they didn't speak. They made their way to the arena.

Tsulika went to the other entrance. Several other ROOTS members gathered around her, explaining rules she knew by heart. She knew Sai was getting the same treatment across the arena. They positioned her by the door and left. She looked up before taking a deep breath. 'I have no name. No past. No future. I... am... nobody. I don't even exist. I have no emotions. I have nothing. I am nothing.'

She opened her eyes. They had grown blank and she felt all the emotions vanish. Her mouth hardened into a straight, flat line and her body relaxed. 'I'm part of ROOTS.' The simple truth. She strode out into the arena and Sai did the same. She grabbed the hilt of her katana and he didn't take any of his weapons. She took the katana out and he still didn't move.

She gripped the hilt more tightly and swung it around at his throat. He closed his eyes. There was a yell from the onlookers as they realized that Sai was letting her win. The blade whistled through the air...

Tsulika stopped. The sword was an inch away from his throat. She sheathed it and Sai opened his eyes in surprise. "I forfeit," she announced, shocking everyone in the room into silence. They hadn't heard her speak forever. "Forfeit?" Danzo asked, his voice dangerously low. "Yes," Sai said, catching on. "She's choosing to let me win."

"That means that she's giving up."

"Correction. It means that she's letting me win."

There was an outburst. Nobody knew what to make of this. Tsulika watched Danzo. He was glaring right back at her. A smirk appeared on her face. 'That's right, bastard. Get a good look at the girl who just smacked you in the face.' Danzo stood up. "We have a forfeit," he said. "The boy wins." Tsulika turned and left the way she had come in.

Sai seemed surprised that he had succumbed so easily. Tsulika left and ran into Konoha, completely happy. Sai found her just inside the gate. "You did it," he said. She smiled. "I'm not gonna let that bastard take away my friends. Just one thing, though. Don't mention this to anyone."

"I couldn't if I tried."

. . .

Naruto woke up with a groan. His back hurt like crazy. Maybe it was the fact he had been hanging over a tree branch, but still. Ouch. He sighed and looked up at the clouds. 'I wonder what she's doing,' he thought. A few nights ago, he had been listening to the radio and heard a song that reminded him of her.

_I'm glad you came..._

_I'm glad you came._

. . .

Awwwwwwwww! I just heard that song for the first time today and I couldn't get enough of it! I also listened to a rock version of Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift.

The song is called I'm Glad You Came by The Wanted. Go listen.

And review!


	17. Hurry

Silence

Chapter seventeen

I'm sad to say my updates are only going to get more postponed. School's working me to the bone. When summer comes, though, I'll be updating, like, daily. Enjoy this chapter!

~Hurry~

Sinefe paused outside the building. A blue-haired woman approached them, face expressionless. "Konan," he said, taking her hand and giving it a kiss. "You look lavishing, as always." She replied, "What is it, Sinefe?" A small smile came to his lips.

"I've got a proposal for you."

"Pein doesn't take kindly to sudden visitors. You'd better state it here and now."

Sinefe wasn't moved at all. "What if I told you that I could help you capture the nine-tails?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "We've heard of your sealin technique. You went after the two-tails and the six-tails, but both have failed at both. What makes you think you can capture the nine-tails?" He smiled. "My dear Konan, when I tried to capture them, I was young and foolish. I believed I could do it by myself, without anyone else helping. Now I have Kioky. And a motivation."

"We provided you with plenty enough money for motivation."

"My motivation this time is revenge for making me seem like a fool."

Konan raised an eyebrow. "How did the nine-tails prove you were a fool?" He grit his teeth and replied icily, "It wasn't the nine-tails. He's got a little girlfriend." Konan's eyes showed the slightest trace of amusement. "You and Kioky couldn't contain a teenage girl?"

"What is it, Sinefe?"

They looked over to see a man with many peircings. Sinefe immediately got to business- he was a little more afraid of Pein than Konan. "I have a solution to your nine-tails problem. If you get his girlfriend, who has been in my custody before but escaped, and bring her to me, I could distract him enough for you to capture him."

"You cannot even make sure the girl stays. What makes you believe you can pull this off?"

Sinefe ground his teeth in frustration. "Let's make a deal, then," Sinefe said. "We go to Konoha, you look for the nine-tails, I look for his girl, and if my plan works, you pay me the money I'm getting for her. In exchange, you get the nine-tails either way. You know it's worth a try."

A masked, hooded figure leaned against the wall. 'I doubt that this will work. But let's go through with it. I want to see how he handles losing, since he knows what happens the third time.'

. . .

Tsulika felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest after the 'fight'. She got along better with everyone and was much happier. Well, except for the fact that Naruto wasn't with them. One day, Sakura invited her over to a sleepover with Ino, Hinata, and Ten-Ten. "It'll be fun! Plus, we're gonna be talking about boys," Sakura said as if that made any difference."Yeah, sure, whatever," said Tsulika. She had also started to speak more.

Little did she know that with every word she spoke, Danzo grew angrier. He wanted to kill the girl himself, but the missionaries/bounty hunters insisted on their plan. "Hurry up," he snapped when they came in for a meeting. He hated her voice. It wasn't even annoying, but he hated it because it was the voice of the Hishnit clan.

The clan that had killed his only love.

. . .

(Back in Konoha)

"You all set?" Sakura asked her friend. "Mm-hm," replied Tsulika, sticking a straw into her mouth and chewing on it. They headed off, Tsulika mostly listened as Sakura complained about things, adding a few 'Mm-hms' and 'Yeps'. When they arrived at Sakura's apartment, everyone had already been invited in. "It's rude to keep your guests waiting," he mother chided her. Sakura shrugged and Tsulika smiled.

Still shewing on the straw, she unpacked and got changed into her pajamas. "All right! Everyone's here!" Sakura said in delight. They stayed up, talking about things that were of little interest to Tsulika, until-

"I heard that Naruto's gonna came back to visit soon!"

The girl smiled. "Is he now!" Ino replied, "That's what I heard! Finally, some alone time!" Tsulika only felt her smile widen as she stared down at the floor. From then until she went to sleep, she thought about the exciting possibility that she would see him soon. She curled up and was instantly asleep.

. . .

Naruto, however, was still laying awake. He had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen, and soon. With a sigh, he moved his gaze from the stars to the ground. It was so quiet here... such a sharp contrast to the city's hustle and bustle atmosphere. That he liked, but if only another human was there to share it with him.

He went inside and crawled into his sleeping bag. 'Should I be... concerned for Konoha?' he asked himself. 'This feeling... it won't go away.'

. . .

The next day, Tsulika was at her apartment. She was writing a report that was due from a small task she had completed in five minutes.

'The only concern I would have with the medical supply is that we are running low on the ever-important supply of bandages.'

She stopped writing and looked outside. 'It's so nice out today,' she thought. 'Surely I can finish this later.' With that decided, she stood up and walked towards the door, pausing to clasp her locket around her neck. Then she left. The sunlight felt good as it hit her face. 'It is a beautiful day out,' she thought as she settled down next to some trees further away from the village. As she looked up at the leaves, she started to feel drowsy. Her eyes closed and her body relaxed against the tree...

Tsulika jolted awake. There was a woman running by the trees, followed by another woman. She had blue hair and a black robe with red clouds on it. "Where is the nine-tails or the girl named Tsulika?" She blinked. 'Why is the Akatsuki looking for me?' The woman cried, "Ts-Tsulika? I don't know who that is, or where the-"

Tsulika gasped involuntarily as Konan broke her skull, killing her instantly. She drew her katana. Konan turned to her, golden eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" she asked, stepping forward. Tsulika didn't reply and instead started circling. Konan followed her. "Where is the nine-tails?" Still no reply.

"Who are you?"

Konan was getting impatient. Why wouldn't this girl answer her? That's when Tsulika answered. "Why are you searching for me?" Konan looked over her. "You're Tsulika?"

Silence.

"Where's the nine-tails?"

"As if I'd tell you."

'Maybe it was true,' thought Konan. 'Maybe this could work.' Tsulika put her hands together. "Summoning jutsu!" Deyrian poofed to her feet and she told him what she wanted him to do mentally, never letting her eyes leave the Akatsuki member. Deyrian started off and Tsulika blocked the kunai that Konan threw at him.

"Bitch, keep your hands off both of my foxes!"

Konan sighed. "You can't beat me, little one. I haven't killed you yet because I may still be able to glean information off of you." Tsulika hissed, "Over my dead body!" The woman said, "Your words, not mine," as she lunged.

. . .

Kioky was waiting in the shadows as Pein searched for information. Sinefe was looking for Tsulika, and Konan was nowhere to be found. He grit his teeth as he waited for his part, one of the most dangerous.

Interacting with Danzo.

"You don't seem particularly concerned about Sinefe," said an old man's voice behind him. "I'm not concerned," he replied. "Only for myself." Danzo thought for a moment. "You don't feel that way because you have no compassion. You feel that way because you're selfish."

Kioky breathed out. "Danzo, if I may ask you something, do you think Sinefe's plan will work?" The old man looked across the village. "It doesn't matter if it works. If it doesn't, I shall kill her myself. You missionaries won't get anything." Kiomy was silent, so he continued. "Do you want to kill me now?"

"I wouldn't dare fight you."

"Smart man. Allow me to ask you a question. Do you know what the girl's summon is?"

Kioky blinked at the question. "N-No, Sir, I don't." Danzo replied, "A fox. A big, red, male fox." Kioky kept his eyes on the battlefield and suddenly realize that an animal with red fur was trotting over the rooftops. "I see," he said as he started off.

. . .

Deyrian kept low as he maneuvered out of the village. Tsulika wasn't dead yet; he could feel it in his gut. As he padded outside the gates towards the forest, he heard the one man... Kioky?... sneaking up on him. 'Pathetic human,' he thought, flicking an ear as a throwing star hit the mud at his paws. He wasn't worried about the man at all. He was a fox, and foxes were clever. And, according to Tsulika, Kioky wasn't smart when it came to humans.

But that was according to her.

He kept a steady pace, leaping lightly out of the way when he needed to. 'Really, now,' the fox thought as Kioky ran at him full speed. 'Doesn't he know the bigger they are, the harder they fall?' Deyrian moved and Kioky ran straight into a tree, looking almost cartoonish as he pulled out of the tree and collapsed.

'Thanks,' Deyrian thought as he went to the dent in the tree and pushed against it. He closed his eyes and proved his way into Tsulika's mind. "Okay, Girlie, I'm here." She said, "Go! And hurry! Take as much chakra as you need!" He licked his chops and closed his eyes, stealing Tsulika's chakra. He didn't have much of his own, so he nearly drained her. "Hurry," she gasped as he melted into the tree.

He came out in a brightly colored world. Without wasting time, he took off. There were several toads who seemed alarmed to see a fox running through their territory. He ignored than until he came across a waterfall full of what appeared to be oil. A blond boy was meditating in front of it, eyes closed. Deyrian slammed into him.

"Ahhhh! What the hell?" he shouted, freaking out. He started getting a toad like appearance and a frog swooped down and hit him over the head with a stick. "There's a fox here!" Naruto shouted. Deyrian was panting, laying on his side. He barked and whimpered.

"I don't understand! What is a fox doing here? How is that possible?"

"He's a fox. Just a regular fox who is a summon. Pure nature energy is in him, so he can come here I'd he knows how."

Deyrian repeated his series of barks and whimpers.

**"He says Konohagakure is under attack."**

Naruto stiffened as the nine-tails spoke to him. "What do you mean?" The Kyuubi replied,** "He was sent by a girl named Tsulika."** Naruto gasped.

'Tsulika's in trouble!'

. . .

That was true. With her chakra drained, she was a lot weaker. It was all she could do to dodge. Konan was an excellent fighter, and her paper ability was hard to fight against. Tsulika, with sweat rolling down her face, leapt out of the way. Suddenly, Konan paused and turned. Bugs were covering her face and clothes.

Relieved, Tsulika dropped her arm. "Go back to Konoha," said Shino. "We've got it." She took off, still gasping for air. The village was under attack. Suddenly, she was falling. Terrified, she flipped to her back. There was a man with flaming hair and black piercings. "Where," he asked softly, "is the nine-tails?" She spat at him, registering he was Akatsuki. He took a long pole that was sharpened at the end. Before he could kill her, a fox rammed into him. "Deyrian!" she screamed as the pole entered his ribs.

The man turned to her, ringed eyes boring into hers. She stood up and backed away, running into a wall. He took the pole and it pierced her heart. Tsulika's eyes rolled back and she fell forward limply. Pein turned and walked away, unaware what Deyrian had done. The dead Tsulika disappeared and the real one came out of the clay wall.

"Deyrian!" she cried as she picked him up. He didn't reply. She felt herself grow numb. Her fox, the one who had been there since she was twelve, was dead. Tears spilled and she sobbed, holding the animal closer. That's when she was interrupted by the blinding white light. 'What is that?' she asked herself before the explosion went off.

. . .

Uh to the oh. I loved Deyrian. :(

Review. Maybe that'll make me feel better.


	18. True Strength

Silence

Chapter eighteen

I know I haven't updated for awhile. Don't hate on me! Someone hated on this, so that brought me down. I also started a new story. I so sorries! D:

~True Strength~

Sinefe smiled at the destroyed village. 'Why, Pein, suddenly I'm inspired by you.' The Hokage was lying limply in the middle of the crater he had created. Sinefe snorted as he sat down, crossing his legs. Kioky sat down beside him, bleeding. "What the hell happened to you?" Sinefe asked. "A damned fox," snarled his partner. The man smiled as he looked upon the crater.

There was a giant toad standing there. Sinefe leaned forward in shock as he saw a blond-haired boy standing there, headband waving in the breeze. His strong arms were crossed over his chest and he was talking to the Hokage. "The nine-tails," snarled Sinefe.

. . .

Tsulika looked up. "M-Mama?" she whimpered. The brunette woman smiled kindly. "My poor baby," she whispered, smoothing Tsulika's silky white hair down. There was a red-haired man next to her, holding Tsulika's hand. "Daddy?" she whispered. Her voice was rough and raspy. "Nira, how I've missed you," he said, bending to gently kiss her forehead.

"Where... where am I?" she asked, her stomach feeling like sandpaper. "Well, Girlie," said a familiar mental voice. She looked over to see her fox sitting there, a small, sad grin on his face. Tsulika realized something as she stared at him. "I'm dead, aren't I?" Her mother folded her in her arms. "Yes. But don't worry. I'm here, your father's here, and even your summon's here," she told her as Tsulika curled up, crying.

She straightened up. Her father had taken her braid out and was running her slightly curled hair trough his fingers. "What about Sh-Shin?" Tsulika asked. Her parents looked at each other and Tsulika took the chance to look around the room. She was in a regular bedroom, with a twin-sized bed in the corner next to a nightstand. There was a lamp there. An open door revealed a fully-equipped bathroom.

"If we had stayed alive, this would've been your bedroom," her father told her as she stood and went to the window, where there was moonlight shining through. It hit her loose hair, making it shine. "We never wanted to leave you. We've always thought about you. Always you, Nira," said her mother. Tsulika leaned against the window, saying something inaudible.

"What was that, Sweetheart?"

"I want to see Shin."

There was a bit of silence before her parents stood and left. "Deyrian, what's happening? How did I die?" she asked, clutching the windowsill. "Went the explosion went off, you were thrown into a building. The force snapped your spine," the fox explained to her. She closed her eyes. "So... That's how I went. I always thought I'd go in my sleep."

"Well, you thought wrong."

"No dip, Sherlock."

He flicked an ear as the door opened. Tsulika turned around, eyes wide and hopeful. Shin looked back at her before a small smile appeared on his lips and he held his arms out, inviting her in for a hug. She ran to him and crashed into his arms. Her arms wrapped around him instinctively. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.

She tilted her head up and kissed him. He kissed her back, but it was cautious. "Shin," she whispered. "Don't you want this?" He smiled, black eyes twinkling. "I want us together, but we need to think rationally. This isn't your time to die. Plus, you have Naruto. What happens if he dies?"

She looked down. "I don't know. I love both of you." Shin tilted her head up. "Let's go outside. We need to talk." He pulled her out of the window into the dark night. It was silent except for a few crickets. "Why is the death world so much like the living?" Tsulika asked him. His fingers tightened around hers and he said, "It isn't. Not in the least."

They settled on the roof. Shin had his arms around his knees when he sat down. "You've got to understand... I'm not going to be there for you anymore. I'm not... good for you." Tsulika reached over and touched his shoulder. "Shin... I want you to know that I love you, no matter what. But you've got to explain why."

The boy turned his gaze upward. "You know why I didn't want you to be experimented on? Because they were going to kill you. But then, the night I decided to leave..." His fist clenched. "If I hadn't known any better, I could've killed you. I couldn't have lived with myself if I had. Tsulika... it's not going to work. Every time I think of it, that comes to mind."

Tsulika was silent for a long while before she asked quietly, "What do you know?" Shin leaned back, closing his eyes. "Sinefe and Kioky are trying to kill you because Danzo set them up to it." She looked at him. "Why?"

"I have to tell you a story for that to make sense."

. . .

Mellaene laughed as she took off, nearly stumbling over a fallen branch. Her strawberry-blond hair shined in the sunlight, as did her emerald-green eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful pink kimono and her hair was tied up in a white ribbon.

A young man with an X-shaped scar on his chin followed her, spiky black hair flopping. A huge smile was on his face as he caught her around her waist. "D-Danzo!" she laughed, leaning against him. He kissed her neck and she blushed. "Mellaene, these last few months have been the best of my life," Danzo told her without letting her see his face. "I just have one question... will you marry me?"

She relaxed against him, her soft hair on his chin. Then she stamped on his foot and took off. Danzo stood there before going after her. He caught her in the forest, twirling her around and pinning her to a tree. "Was that a yes? Or a no?" he asked. She grinned as she leaned forward to give him a soft kiss. "What do you think?" Mellaene asked before she kissed him again under the shade.

. . .

"Danzo! We're being attacked!"

The man shot straight up out of his bed. They were all camped in an uncharted forest. The mission had been an A-ranked. Mellaene had come along because she was part of the Jinou clan, who the mission was centered around. Now they knew why it was an A-ranked. He went out there and stopped in surprise. The tents were on fire. The flames crackled and shot sparks into the dark night sky.

"Damn," he said before running towards Mellaene's tent. Someone stopped him halfway there. "Danzo! Get back to the fight!" He snapped back, "I'm going to get Mellaene!" He found her in her tent. "Danzo," she whispered as she clung to him. He picked her up and carried her outside. The woman tried to fold in on herself so the enemy couldn't see her. "Who are they?" Danzo snarled as one made lightning go into one ninja and strike another.

"They're the Hishnit clan," whispered Mellaene. "They specialize in lightning attacks and the use of the katana." His arms tightened around her and she closed her eyes as he started running. He set her down near a river, far away from the fight scene. "Stay here, Mellaene. Stay still and quiet," he murmured to her. As he took off, Mellaene called, "Love you." Danzo stopped. "Love you, too."

After her left, Mellaene curled up to fight off the cold and started to cry. The Hishnit and Jinou clans had been rivals for a very long time. As Mellaene listened for people, good or bad, her space was invaded by a black fox. "Oh, damn," she whimpered. The Hishnit clan's summoning animal was a fox. Always a fox.

Mellaene didn't know if she should stay still or run. The fox had probably already mentally contacted its summoner, so she decided to run. It kept up with her and eventually tackled her. Something closed around her arm, crunching the bone. She screamed a blood-curdling scream and tried to pry the trap off of her arm. It was made of steel- like something hunters would use to hunt foxes.

The black fox watched her until its summoner appeared. It was a curvy woman with jet-black hair. "You're a Jinou," she said bluntly, showing no emotion for Mellaene. "P-P-Please! I-I don't want to k-kill you! It w-was my father's idea!" cried the strawberry blond, cowering. The woman took in the fox trap with intrest. "That was set for our foxes from the Jinou clan. You're caught in your own trap," she said.

"Have mercy!" whimpered Mellaene. "I have a family, and a husband! Please!" The Hishnit glared at her. "And you don't think my sister had a husband and a family?" Mellaene couldn't move as she made her way closer, kunai in hand. With a moment to listen to Mellaene's quiet sobs, she plunged the weapon into the Jinou's breast, successfully piercing a lung. Then the woman left with her fox, leaving Mellaene behind to die.

. . .

"Danzo..."

The man couldn't listen to anyone. He was holding Mellaene's limp, lifeless body. It felt cold in his hands... This was not what Mellaene was. She was sunny, beautiful, bright. The man buried his face into her cold neck and cried as everyone watched.

One thought entered his mind. 'Emotions are us weak. If she had no fear, she would be alive. If I had no love, I wouldn't be experiencing pain right now. That should be what a true shinobi experiences. No emotions is the way to true power.'

. . .

Shin finished the story with a long sigh. "My clan killed..." Tsulika was shocked that her ancestors could be so cruel. "But... Mellaene never hurt anyone!" Shin looked over at her. "That's human life. Even if someone didn't touch anyone, they might get killed because of other people's decisions."

"But... What about what Danzo said? About the emotions?"

"What about that?"

"That isn't true strength!"

Shin waited for an answer. "True strength is..." Tsulika looked down, mouth quirked down as she thought about everything she had been through in the past year. "It's experiencing those emotions and still pushing through, no matter how much it hurts." Shin reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. "That's my thoughts exactly."

He was about to say more, but then her skin started glowing gold. She practically jumped out of it, but suddenly her mother's voice assured her, "Don't worry baby. It wasn't time yet for you to go." Tsulika suddenly felt a little chillier. "What's happening?" she asked. "You're going back to the real world," her father said.

She turned her eyes to Shin and he smiled. "Good bye. Remember what we talked about!" he called. Tsulika suddenly opened her eyes to see a boy with bright blond hair and smiling blue eyes. "N-Naruto?" she whispered. "Tsulika," he murmured, pulling her closer to his chest. She rested her head there and felt his heartbeat.

"Are you alright?"

"Never been better."

He laughed as he leaned down and kissed her. She closed her eyes. "Tsulika, I love you." She smiled up at him. "I love you, too."

. . .

Okay, just to clear things up, Deyrian is alive because he is Tsulika's summon and the Hishnit clan is connected to their summons. Ack... I'll explain it next chapter.

As to all my wonderful readers and reviewers, I 3 you! You're awesome!

Review please! ^^


	19. Ghosts of the Past

Silence

Chapter nineteen

Tee-hee! I wouldn't kill her off... yet.

Tsulika: What? O.o

Nothing! ^^

Naruto: D:

~Ghost of the Past~

There was warmth all around Tsulika when she woke the next morning. Even though the ground beneath her sleeping bag was hard, Deyrian's fur against her chest was soft and slightly fluffy. She breathed in his forest-like scent. There was a groan from beside her as Naruto woke up.

He stayed still for a moment before gently removing his arm from around her waist. After they had reunited, there had been a frantic rush for organization. They searched for emergency tents and sleeping bags and found them. Then they had passed them out.

Turns out, they were short just one tent, so Naruto and Tsulika had offered to share one. No one questioned it except for Kakashi, who took them aside for a little 'chat'. It consisted of a list of rules that had Naruto complaining and Tsulika stifling giggles at the end of the seminar.

The tents had been set up and a little ration of food given to everyone before bed. At that time, it was about three A.M., so everyone went into their tents. Naruto had actually carried her, she was so tired. Along the way, he would murmur things into her ear. "Wow, Tsulika. You spent an hour dead... how can you be tired?" Naruto had whispered into her ear. "Shut up," she had mumbled sleepily.

With a laugh, he had lain her down on the ground. Deyrian had been following them, both Tsulika and he too deprived of chakra to return him back home. "Can he sleep here?" Tsulika had asked Naruto as Deyrian waited patiently outside. "The fox? 'Course he can." As if on cue, the canine had leapt in and curled up on his summoner's lap, resting his head on her arm.

She had learned a lot from the talk she had had with Shin. It was more of an inference, actually, but she felt it to be true. The Hishnit clan, her clan, always had foxes be their summons. There was a certain connection between them, though, so if the summoner felt sad, the animal would feel the same way. It also worked with happiness.

If one of them died, the other wouldn't eat or sleep until they were dead, too. In Tsulika's and Deyrian's situation, if one was brought back, both would be. It was actually no wonder that they fell asleep at the same time. Naruto chuckled as he gently moved them over so the blankets could cover all of them. "Love you," he told her before he wrapped an arm around her waist and fell asleep.

. . .

Now, as Tsulika lay awake, perfectly content where she was, Naruto was thinking about Konoha. 'Pein destroyed all of the village,' he thought as he pulled off the plain T-shirt they had given everyone to sleep in. 'I wonder how long it'll take to rebuild...'

"Are you just going to stand there shirtless all day?"

Naruto jumped and went bright red at Tsulika's comment, but he decided to take the bait. "Oh, c'mon, you know you like the view," he said as he turned to face her. She was resting on her stomach and her head lay on her folded hands. "Hm. Don't get cocky," she warned, flipping to her back and using her elbows to push herself up. He stuck his tongue out at her before taking his battle-worn shirt and jacket.

After he was dressed, he went outside so Tsulika could get ready. They would be stuck with the same clothes for awhile, but that was fine. Tsulika tied her hair up in the braid and scowled at the tangles in it. No one was going to look like a supermodel for a long time. She sighed and shrugged it off before going outside. Naruto was waiting there. "Well... That look is... special," he told her with a grin.

She pursed her lips at the comment and the blond boy laughed, taking her hand firmly in his. They began walkin through the camp before seeing the crater that Pein had created. "Wow," Tsulika said, seeing the debris on the sides of it. "I know," Naruto agreed, sighing out through his nose. They walked down there to see Kakashi. "Hello," he said quietly. He seemed distant. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked. "They want to make me Hokage since Lady Tsunade..."

Their expressions darkened. Tsunade was resigning in a healing tent. Without her jutsu, her true age shined through and she had fallen into a coma. Tsulika let Naruto go forth. "Hey, Tsulika," he said, "I'll catcha later. I've gotta talk with Kakashi-sensei." She nodded and walked around without a specific destination in mind before she was stopped by Konohamaru and his gang.

"Oi! You!"

She waited for him to say what he wanted to. "Aren't you Naruto's girl?" the boy asked. Tsulika raised an eyebrow before replying, "Yes." He pointed at her. "You took my teacher away from me! I challenge you to a fight!" The girl rolled her eyes. "I have no time to deal with such tribal matters, child. Go on with your little friends."

He shouted angrily, "I challenge you to a fight! I'm stronger than you any day!" She rolled her eyes again, hands on her hips. "You're Naruto's student? Well, I'm not surprised," she said. The boy's face went blank. "You're not?"

"Nope. You're both loud and obnoxious. I'd bet that he's taught you some perverted jutsus, as well."

There was a long pause in which Tsulika moved past them, shaking her head. "Wait... If you don't like loud, obnoxious, perverted people, why are you with Naruto?" Konohamaru asked. Tsulika paused, tilting her head. "That's the thing. Maybe I do like those kinds of people."

She started running then, ignoring the rest of their questions. She stumbled to a stop as a brownish-red fox leapt in front of her. "Alliny," she said mentally to Deyrian's sister. "What are you doing here?"

"Alliny? Who's that? I'm Tokala. Are you Deyrian's summoner?"

Tsulika blinked. 'Tokala? Deyrian, you player...' She said, "Yeah. Let me go and get him." The fox sat down and Tsulika wondered how she could mistake this vixen for the other one. Alliny held none of the lithe grace Tokala possessed. Their colorings were similar, but not the same. Tsulika turned and went back towards the tent. Deyrian was stretching and yawning, bored.

"Hey, Girlie."

"There's a pretty vixen named Tokala out there."

If he could've, he would've blushed. "Thanks! I'll just go and-"

"Now wait a second, Mister. You've got some explaining to do."

He dropped his head. "I met her when you were being held hostage by Sinefe. I didn't tell you because I thought you wouldn't approve. I was right." She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure? I see nothing wrong with... you know, that. You approve Naruto and I. Why wouldn't I do the same for you?" He sighed.

"I don't know... you're weird?"

"Too true. Now go home, you crazy beast."

He trotted out and after awhile she felt him go home. Two arms wrapped around her from behind and she looked up to see Naruto. 'Looks like Deyrian's home,' Tsulika thought as she leaned into him. 'So am I.'

. . .

Finina healed the small of Kioky's back as Sinefe paced nervously around the room. "Madara is going to be here soon... Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."

"Calme down, Sinefe. It wasn't your fault they didn't get the nine-tails." He whirled on her. "It doesn't matter, Finina! It was the third time I'd volunteered to go out on a mission for a tailed beast! I'm dead!" Kioky sat up, pulling his shirt on. "Let's run." The idea sounded so absurd that Sinefe laughed crazily, spit flying from his mouth.

"Run? From the Akatsuki?"

"Yes. Run. From the Akatsuki. You know my specialty is evasive techniques."

Sinefe looked at the iron-haired man with an air of distaste. "That would never work. The Akatsuki would find us within two hours." Finina nodded, her springy red hair bouncing. "Don't be ridiculous. Kioky, we'd die out there." The man stood up.

"Fine! Stay here and die, then! But I'm taking my child and my wife! We're going away! Aisha!"

The little girl appeared, her hands clutching the railing. "Are you alright?" Finina asked her. Her big grey eyes widened as a man in a black cloak with red clouds on it appeared behind her. "Uchiha Sasuke," said Sinefe, mentally screaming. A kunai went to the little girl's throat and Kioky said, "Don't! Please! Just say what you want!" Sasuke looked at all of them before saying, "Sinefe, Madara wants to meet with you."

He nodded and went into the room behind Sasuke, hearing his warning of, "I you move, she dies." His heart pounded as he saw the masked figure standing there. "You've failed three times." The statement hung there in the air as silence thickened around them. Then, "Please, Sir, it was Pein and Konan-"

"I don't want your excuses."

"What do you want, then?"

After that came out of his mouth, Sinefe covered his mouth with his hand. He had just used his commanding tone with the leader of the Akatsuki. "What I want," said the man as he turned, taking his mask off, "is your tortured screams."

Finina and Kioky heard them a moment later, which scared Aisha. After what seemed like hours of none-stop screaming, the house plunged into the quiet. Madara came out, dragging a limp body behind him. Sinefe was alive, but his eyes were cloudy and he was choking on something. The Uchiha threw him to the ground at his comrades' feet and Sasuke did the same with Aisha.

"Keep our little conversation in mind, Sinefe."

Then they were gone, fading as if they'd never been there. The knot proof were the terrified people huddled on the floor, shivering as if they'd seen a ghost. In the purple and silver-eyed man's case, however, he'd seen much worse than any ghost.

He had seen his past.

. . .

Tsulika sat straight up, clutching her heart. It was pounding fiercely. "Ugh, Tsulika," Naruto mumbled, looking over. "What's wrong?" She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong," she replied, laying back down. Naruto breathed up before slowly kissing her ear. From there, he moved to her forehead, her nose, her cheek, and her neck.

"Naruto," Tsulika murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her on the lips, pulling her against him. After he broke the passionate kiss, he pushed her back down. "You know," Tsulika said almost nervously. "This goes against everything Kakashi told us."

His lazy grin spread across his face. "I know. Doesn't go against Pervy Sage's, though!" Tsulika thought, 'No, probably not,' before his lips crashed into hers and she closed herself off to the world.

. . .

Oooooo... XD

Okay, so tell me what you think! ^^

Reviews make my day, yup yup yup!


	20. A Couple of Questions

**Silence**

**Couple questions**

**Hey, guys! Chapter twenty is one its way, but I need a couple questions answered-**

**•For a friend, I wrote a lemon for the end of chapter nineteen. Do you want me to post it here?**

**•This question is way early, but if they had a kid, what would their gender and name be? Plus, how many?**

**•What is your favorite chapter so far?**

**•OBEY THE CUPCAKE GOD.**

**Thankies! ^_^**

**Aleka**


	21. Darkness

Silence

Chapter twenty

Oh my gosh. Twenty chapters written! I'm so fricking proud of myself! This is gonna be the first multi-chapter fic that I complete! -3

To all my loyal readers and reviewers, I love you. You guys make my day! ^^

(Kuragari means 'darkness' in Japanese)

~Darkness~

Sinefe was having a seizure again. He had had thirty-eight since Madara had tortured him. Finina pressed her hands to his bare chest. Green chakra flowed around her hands and she started healing him. Kioky waited until the man stopped shaking before asking, "What do to think happened?"

She shook her head. "I think he used some sort of genjutsu. It's still effecting him even now. I can't stop it." Suddenly, the man's eyes opened and Finina gasped. They were completely black, like two dark tunnels. Sinefe sat up without any help. "What are... Sinefe," said the woman, reaching to take his arm.

In one second, he had grabbed her throat and lifted her into the air. She gasped and tried to pry his fingers off, but it didn't work. Kioky leapt up and threw some kunai at the man. Without taking his fingers away from Finina's neck, Sinefe caught the kunai between his fingers.

His black eyes met Kioky's grey ones and the man gasped, his throat catching in his breath. His whole body turned on itself. He buckled forward, blood coming out of his mouth.

Then it all stopped. Sinefe collapsed, groaning. "Wh-What was that?" Kioky gasped, still curled up on the ground. The redheaded woman was gaping at the man. "That... That was the Kuragarigan."

. . .

When Tsulika woke, Naruto's arm was wrapped around her waist. She looked around at the clothes scattered on the floor and remembered. 'Oh, damn,' she thought, stretching. The damned ground had given her several cricks and she tried to stretch them out before feeling thumbs rubbing her back and neck. "Good morning," Naruto murmured to her, kissing her cheek. She smiled, closing her eyes. "You're so stiff," he said, continuing to massage her back.

"You could do this for a living," Tsulika told him, eyes still closed. He laughed and stood up to get dressed. She sighed as he left her side but didn't attempt to get up after him. "Get ready and come outside," he told her after awhile, sounding a bit tired but happy. Tsulika groaned and thought, 'I really wish I could take a damned shower,' before getting dressed herself.

"You look gorgeous today," Naruto complemented her. "Shut up," she muttered, eyes narrowed against the sun. He laughed, grinning as he slipped his arm around her waist. "Why so blue, Honey Dew?" She looked at him. "You did not seriously just say that."

"Yes, I did!"

That got a small smile from her and Naruto rubbed at her neck a little more. They made their way through Konoha, hands together. Naruto eventually caught the gold chain of her locket with his fingers. "You still have it," he said brightly, sounding cheerful as always. "Of course I still have it."

"Oh, Tsulika. Do you know how much I love you?"

"No. Explain."

He laughed. "No words can describe my love for thee." Tsulika grinned at him. "Sounds poetic." The boy laughed before saying in an official tone, "Uzumaki Naruto- future Hokage and part-time poet." They continued on, looking through the tents. Some of the forest was still visible. With a smile that was more sad than happy, the girl left Naruto's side and went to check out the trees. Some where snapped, others were tilting.

Something caught her eyes and she looked up. "Deyrian! How the hell did you get here?" she asked him. An evil fox grin spread on his face. "Well, I was feeling particularly lustful last night... anything you'd like to tell me about?" Her eyes widened. "No!" she said too quickly.

He laughed, waving his bushy tail in the air. "You're too funny, Girlie. Anyways, Tokala says hi." Then he poofed away, taking a little bit of her chakra while doing so. She was about to go back to Naruto when Sakura grabbed her wrist. "C'mon, Tsulika. Sai wants to tell us something," she said. The white-haired girl followed, wondering what he was doing now.

They all met the pale boy by a lake. Naruto said, "Sai, you've got to tell us all ROOT knows about Sasuke." Tsulika sucked in a breath, shaking her head. "I can't," Sai said simply. "Why not?" Naruto demanded angrily.

"Tsulika and I cannot give information on ROOT. It's impossible."

With that, he stuck his tongue out. A black mark, kind of like tire tracks, was stamped there. Tsulika shivered, clutching her throat as she remembered the day the curse seal was put on her tongue.

{Flashback}

The red-haired girl struggled. Two ROOT members held the ten-year-old down. Since ten was about the age that they had their first kill, they would start missions soon enough. That meant that the curse mark had to be put on so they couldn't give any information on ROOT.

A medic came in, pulling a plastic glove over his fingers and letting it snap into place before taking a syringe. The girl whimpered as he injected it into her shoulder. There was a burning sensation in the back of her throat and she choked, coughing. "Breathe," the medic instructed her.

She took a big gulp of air and refilled her lungs over and over. "Go on. We've got several others we need to do," the ROOT member said, pulling her up by her shoulder-length red locks and pushing her out the door. A pale, black-haired boy was leaving the room at the same time she was, having gotten his mark in the bed beside hers. "Well," she said, not sure what else there was to say.

"Well," he agreed, not injecting any emotion into his voice whatsoever as they exited the hospital ward.

{Present Time}

Sai's look grazed hers as he explained how the curse mark would activate. "So I cannot tell you about Sasuke." A sneering female voice snapped, "Well, we've finally got a lead." Tsulika snapped her head around to see a red-haired girl and a white-haired boy standing on the water of the lake. She scowled at the girl's rudeness.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, maintaining his calm posture. "Uchiha Sasuke killed Bee! He's part of the Akatsuki now!" Both Sakura's and Naruto's eyes widened at that. Tsulika shared a glance with Sai as the girl yelled, "We're going to gain information on him, and you guys seem to be his friends!"

In one fluid motion, Naruto grabbed Sai's tanto and swung it around at the foreign ninja. The rest of the team ducked and Sai and Sakura split up, running to either sides of the enemies. Tsulika jumped up high, doing some handsigns. "Lightning style: Thundercloud Avalanche Jutsu!" A bolt of lightning streaked down, but they split up and flipped Naruto over. He landed on his feet and Tsulika landed, swirling around.

Naruto summoned some clones and they leapt right into the fight as Sakura got smacked and flew a few feet away. "Sakura!" the blond boy shouted, leaping and catching her. Sai and Tsulika leapt beside their teammates and glared at the ninja. "Sakura, are you alright?" the boy asked her. "Y-Yeah," she replied, looking shaken.

The redhead made to attack them again, but Sai said, "Hey, guys, let's be rational. Attacking us isn't going to solve your problems." Tsulika still kept a hand on her katana until Naruto reached up and took her wrist. When she looked down, he shook his head.

"Come here," Naruto told them. "I'll get you some answers." The ninja looked surprised he had succumbed so easily, but followed him. The two teams glared at one another, their looks filled with venom. After they left, Sai said, "They're Cloud ninja." Tsulika crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a knot in her stomach. 'Oh, jeez. Just calm down,' she told herself sternly.

Sai wandered off and Sakura decided to check on how the village was going. Tsulika decided to follow Sai and after awhile, saw something that really pissed her off.

The red-headed bitch was beating on Naruto roughly, moving her tan fist against his face over and over. She felt a muscle in her jaw twitch as she started over there. "So, you see, no amount of beating will make up for the loss of our master," the girl panted. Naruto pushed himself up the wall, bruised and bleeding. The white-haired girl took a kunai out and opened her mouth to yell as the girl threw another punch.

It was caught by Sai.

"You shouldn't get beaten for Sasuke's sake, Naruto."

She hurried over to her lover and held him steady. "Stay out of this, you two," he mumbled through swelling lips. "No," Tsulika murmured back quietly, resting his head on her collarbone. The girl scowled at them and Tsulika looked over at her. Their withering stares met and the Cloud ninja looked away first, pulling her fist out of Sai's steady grip.

A blond woman with a large bust appeared. "Karui, Omoi, I see you've met the Konoha ninja," she said, her blue eyes slowly moving over Sai, who had gone to the other side of Naruto, and Tsulika. When it reached the blond, one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows arched up. "Did you get into a fight?" she asked, looking at the girl who Tsulika assumed was Karui.

She sweat-dropped and the boy, Omoi, said, "No." Naruto stumbled forward and the woman turned. "Very well, then." 'How stupid is this woman?' Tsulika snarled to herself. As Karuo went past her, Tsulika drew her finger across her throat. The girl scoffed and turned away.

Sai helped Naruto up, pulling his arm over his shoulders. Tsulika helped and got him back to their tent. "Go get Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato," he said to Tsulika. She ran off through the tents and found the men not far away. "Naruto's injured," she said quietly. "Sai wants you two to come." They followed her back to the tent, where Sai was bandaging his wounds.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked, crouching down. "Yeah. Sai and Tsulika helped," Naruto said. She sat down and took his hand, resting her head on his chest. Naruto explained what happened while Sai finished bandaging.

There was a few seconds of silence before Sai said, "Why are the sheets in a different spot?" Both Naruto and Tsulika said, "They're not!"

"Yes, they are. I should know, I put up this tent."

Kakashi's eye traveled from the sheets to Tsulika's flushed face. "I told you not to," he said, making the girl cover her burning face with both hands. Yamato gawked at them and Sai blinked. "You two had sex?" The white-haired girl couldn't even nod.

There was a shocked silence. Naruto couldn't look at anyone. Then Sai asked, "How big was it?" The question was directed at Tsulika. "Wh-What?" she whispered, still embarrassed.

"You know. How big was his pe-"

"SAI! WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS!"

. . .

Nauto said the last line XD

That's my attempt at humor. Did you like this chapter? I sure hope giving the enemy some sort of advantage will make this fic different... Tell me what you think! ^^


	22. The Kuragarigan

Silence

Chapter twenty-one

This explains crap about the Kuragarigan. I hope you like, my brain hurts. But I'm watching Johnny Bravo! Johnny Bravo makes me happy! Sorry, guys, I'm getting off topic. (P.S. Sorry so short.)

~The Kuragarigan~

The next day, Naruto looked much better. Kakashi had teased them non-stop the evening before, making Tsulika red the whole time. The boy took the bandages off and rested his hand on the girl's shoulder. She had stayed up all night, looking outside. There wasn't really a reason she stayed up. She just couldn't fall asleep.

Now, Tsulika looked up at the blond boy. "Go get some rest," he murmured to her quietly. "I'll be alright." She smiled at him sadly, biting her bottom lip to suppress a yawn. He watched as she got into the sheets and went over to kiss her on both cheeks. "I love you." After that, she fell asleep.

. . .

"Okay, here it is," whispered Finina, looking over at Sinefe's limp form. There was a small, dusty book in her arms. Kioky, who had been guarding over the body, came over and she opened it to read a passage.

"The Kuragarigan is one of the oldest visual techniques. It doesn't belong to a clan. You can distinguish it by how mush black has spread from the pupil. When the user activates it, the eyes turns white. The first stage is when the black only covers the pupil. This grants the user pure strength, nothing else.

The second stage is when there seems to be the same amount of black as there is white. This stage may grant some extra skills in taijutsu, but not much other than that. What you have to look out for is the third stage.

When the black completely covers the eye, you are seeing the third stage of the Kuragarigan, and probably won't see much else. If they catch your eye, they can turn your body against itself. For example, your blood will clot and your bones will try to break. Your heart and stomach will stop functioning, but only later.

There is a slight advantage on your side, though- the Kuragarigan harms the user. If the pain becomes too intense, they might call it off."

Finina stopped reading and looked up at a touch on her shoulder. Sinefe stood there, his eyes regular. "Are you two going to abandon me?" he asked in an icy tone that made it clear what would happen if they did so. "N-No, S-Sinefe," stammered Kioky.

"Good. Let's get ready. We have a girl to kill."

He went into a room and put on some armor. Under it, he wore a black shirt and over it he wore a silver cape. There was a pair of simple black pants and shoes on the lower half of his body. Kioky and Finina were dressed in almost the same way, only without the capes and Finina's shirt was dark green. "Sir?" Kioky asked nervously, perspiration running down his face. "Yes?" Sinefe asked. "What about Aisha?"

A small smile came to the man's lips. "She's... Taken care of." Their eyes widened and Finina burst into tears. "You... You're cruel!" snarled Kioky, holding his wife. Sinefe turned towards him. "A child would only slow us down."

They left their hideout. Finina was whimpering, face pale. Kioky was staring at his partner's back in shock. 'When did he become so cruel?' Taking his wife's hand, he assured her, "It's alright. We'll live." Sinefe stopped suddenly. "What?" Kioky asked before masked ninja jumped at them from all sides.

"ANBU," muttered Sinefe. "Halt!" they commanded. Kunai flew through the air and Kioky blocked them with a shuriken. He was about to go a step further when Sinefe put a hand in front of his chest. "Stop. They'll be the perfect messengers." With that, the man disappeared and came up beside one of the ANBU. He ripped of the mask and activated the Kuragarigan.

The ninja began to shake uncontrollably. He tried to scream, but his throat constricted on itself, cutting it off. The rest of the ANBU stood there in shock, watching as Sinefe dropped the man and he fell. He was dead before he hit the ground.

"Tell this to your precious Hokage," said Sinefe, giving no signs that he was in pain. "If any of the villages or ninja get in the way of me getting who I want, then they'll end up like this poor chump right here." Everyone looked at the dead man and dropped down from the trees, running to inform the Hokage about this new enemy. "Kioky," Sinefe said, tilting his head, "how many people does it take to deliver a message?"

"O-One."

Sinefe eyed the seven ninja and pulled out six shuriken. "Excellent."

. . .

"What do you think, Kakashi?"

Of the eight ANBU that had been on patrol, one had come back alive. There was no body, just like they knew there wouldn't be, but the one remaining member had described the death in great detail. "What did she say the murderer looked like?" the copy-nin asked, gazing at the burn mark on the ground.

"Um, dark brown hair, wearing a distinctive silver and black cape, and pure black eyes."

Kakashi's eye snapped over to the man holding the papers. "A black eye?" The man nodded. "The color of it, not-" Kakashi cut him off. "I know what you mean. It's not good at all."

"What is it, Kakashi?"

The man shook his head. "The Kuragarigan."

. . .

Yamato was with Naruto and Tsulika when Kakashi found them. "You two, I've got something to say," he tolds them. Tsulika threw him a warning look and he said, "It's serious." Naruto took her hand and said, "We're all ears."

Kakashi sat down and said, "We believe that there's. New Akatsuki member. They have the Kuragarigan." The teens gave blank stares. "The Kuragarigan is one of the newer visual techniques. It is extremely rare- so rare, that it is practically impossible for two users to be alive at once."

Kakashi went on to describe it. "When the black covers the entire eye, then you have the third stage, the most dangerous. They can make your body turn on itself." Tsulika said, "Like the Ying and Yang." Kakashi nodded. "Exactly. There is no balance, so the person can't control the power inside them."

Naruto said bluntly, "We're screwed."

"No," said Tsulika. "We're not." The boy looked at her. "How do you figure?" She Looked at Kakashi. "Isn't there a weakness?" He nodded. "It harms the user. If the pain becomes too intense, they can call it off." Tsulika looked at him. "See?"

He sighed and looked over her. Suddenly, Kiba's voice shouted, "Naruto! I've got some news!" They stood up and went outside. "The Hokage just gave permission to kill Sasuke!" he said. Akamaru was panting and the boy had a bag over his shoulder. "What?" Naruto yelped.

"You heard me! He just said so to the Cloud ninja!"

'Oh, shit,' Tsulika thought. Out loud, she asked, "Are you sure?" The boy raised an eyebrow and she sighed before saying her thoughts out loud. "Okay," Kakashi said. "Thank you, Kiba, but now I need to talk to Naruto and Tsulika."

They headed back in and Naruto said, "We've got to do something!" Tsulika nodded and Kakashi said, "Maybe we could convince the Raikage otherwise. Go get ready." Naruto ran out and Tsulika sat there before Yamato signed, "Well, go on." She blinked. "If you're going to come with us, you need to pack," he pointed out.

Her jaw dropped and she said, "Okay, let me get this straight. I didn't ask you to go, and you still let me?" Both the men slowly nodded, wondering if this was a trick. "So I get to penetrate the mission walls that the male shinobi put up so constantly?"

"You've already done that with Naruto," Kakashi pointed out. She rolled her eyes and ran back to their tent. "You so owe me. I had to beg them to let you come on one of our little side missions," he said. She laughed and quickly packed up. When she was done, She leaned her head on his chest. "What about the Kuragarigan?" she asked him.

"It's gonna be tough to beat. Don't worry, if you get scared, I'll hold your hand," he told her jokingly. "You're gonna have to do much more than that to calm me down," she told him flirtatiously. He laughed and kissed her on her jaw. "We'll be alright," she said after a moment. She looked at him. "Won't we?"

"Yeah. We definitely will."

. . .

I wonder if they will. Tsulika has no idea that the Kuragarigan user is Sinefe.

Errrrrr... Sinefe... I don't like him.

Fun fact! Aisha means life! Ironic. (Not in Japanese.)


	23. PETITION

PETITION

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. There are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable. I myself have lost three stories, because the SUMMARIES (not the actual stories) were not rated G… I wasn't even aware summaries could be rated, nor need to be G if the story itself was rated M.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added. On that note, readers, please consider signing this petition: www(dot)ipetitions(dot)com/petition/lemons-for-fanfiction/

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be losing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

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ragnrock kyuubi

SpiritWriterXXX

Ace6151

FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

Masane Amaha's King

Blueexorist

Nero Angelo Sparda

Sharkteeth

DAPC

Kyuubi16

bunji the wolf

EternalKnight219

Shi Kami The Murderous Prodigy

DeathNoteMaker

Nostalgic Remedy

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Slayer of Destiny

AislingSiobhan

hanakisa

sefieshuko

Aleka446

If you could do what some other authors have done and post this petition as a temporary new chapter on some of your stories to help spreed the word? It would help a lot.


	24. The Plan

Silence

Chapter twenty-two

Lol paprika! It's a funny word. I feel in a random mood today! Did you know that, "I'm not a pervert," is the official motto of perverts? Watching Nick at Nite really improves your knowledge! ^^

~A Plan~

The next morning, they woke up nervous. After eating breakfast, They headed out. The sun was shining brightly on them and Tsulika looked at him. "Let's go," he said, his grip tightening on her hand.

They met Yamato and Kakashi at the gates and started towards their destination. 'The team seems so empty,' Tsulika thought as she looked over the rest of her teammates. 'We need the full team here or it feels wrong.'

She tightened her grip on his fingers and he kissed her temple. 'I wonder if that's what he felt when he had to leave me here.' They continued on in silence, the capes provided for them not making a sound. Eventually, they stopped to rest. After getting some dango, Naruto joined her outside the shop.

"I wonder if the Raikage will let us take Sasuke away unscathed," said Tsulika, putting her face in her hands with a sigh. Naruto shrugged as he offered her some of the dessert. "Maybe he will. And if he doesn't, we'll just have to take Sasuke anyway." The white-haired girl leaned against him and he let his arm glide around her.

"Hey, Tsulika..."

"Yes?"

"What if Sasuke gets away again?"

She cuddled up to him more. "Then you'll just have to go after him again anyway." Then a pair of lips covered hers, but only for a second because Kakashi called, "Are you going to sit there all day or are we going to continue on?" Naruto broke the kiss and shouted, "Aw, Kakashi-sensei! I thought we could continue to sit here!"

Tsulika giggled and pretty soon they were walking again. When they stopped to make camp, they were told that their rooms would be separate. Not that it mattered to them. When everyone was in bed, they snuck out and met each other on the roof. "I wish," Tsulika said suddenly, as she leaned against his shoulder, "that Sasuke had never left. Then you wouldn't be like this right now."

"I don't know," the blond boy said. "If he hadn't left, I wouldn't of met you." She smiled. "Good point." They started constellation gazing again, just like the night they confessed. After awhile, Naruto fell asleep. 'They're going to kill us,' thought Tsulika as she closed her eyes. 'Oh, well. It's not like we're doing anything wrong.'

. . .

"And you are?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, hero of the Leaf."

Tsulika bit her lip from where she was standing by a tree. The Raikage was a huge man, and he was missing an arm. Even though she'd never admit it, she was immensly frightened of him. His gaze went to her, eyes narrowed. She gulped without meaning to. "And you want?"

The question was directed at Naruto. "I want you to call of killing Sasuke." A long pause before the Raikage grumbled, "You want me to spare the life of the man who killed my brother?" Tsulika flinched as the Raikage clenched his hand into a fist and punched a tree with so much force, the thing toppled over. "I'm not ready to forgive him for such a thing! You want my advice? Give up."

The boy simply clenched his fist and grit his teeth. "I don't think you understand. I want to take him back to the Leaf." The man looked at him. "He didn't just take my brother. He took my arm."

. . .

_"Lariat!" the Raikage stormed, charging the Susano'o. Sasuke, who had a hand covering his eye, looking up at the man's arm. "Amaterasu," he said, activating the black flames on the man's arm. The man dropped, looking at the flames on his arm in surprise._

_It hurt. Nothing he had ever experienced combined hurt as much as this. "Lord Raikage!" one of his escorts shouted, landing beside him. "I'm not going down this easy," he said, taking his arm in his fist and crunching the limb off. His escort gasped, but all he felt was relief. "Let's get this finished with."_

. . .

Naruto was looking down after the Raikage's short explanation of what happened. "I know that he's got himself into trouble a lot lately, but we can still make a compromise, right?" After that, the boy knelt in the snow. Tsulika felt anger rush into her bloodstream as the Raikage walked past him.

"No. That's final."

"But that's not fair!"

The Raikage turned to Tsulika. "So what is fair? The fact that he took my brother, or the fact that he took my arm? Or prehaps the fact that he'll keep doing these things?" She didn't answer and the Raikage nodded. "I said no. Goodbye."

With that, he went back into the forest. Kakashi touched the girl's arm. "It was a nice try," he said. "No it wasn't," she whispered back, eyes turned downward. "Yamato," said Kakashi, "could you take Tsulika back to the hotel? I need to have a word with Naruto." He nodded and motioned for the girl to follow him. She did wordlessly, keeping her head low.

Those words had hurt her. How could they have not hurt Naruto? Feeling a pain in her chest as they entered the hotel, she blurted, "I've got to go," and ran to the bathroom. Once there, she looked at herself in the mirror and leaned forward, tears filling her eyes. 'I wonder... Will Sasuke keep this up? Is there anything left but darkness?'

As she cried into the sink, she suddenly realized how tired she was. Not like it was physical weariness, more like mental. Deciding to take it easy, she turned on the shower and climbed in. The hot water soothed her and she got washed up before getting out and getting dressed. When she got back out, Yamato was gone and Naruto was leaning against the wall. "Naruto-" she started, but he was already kissing her.

She was pushed against the wall as he moved to her neck. "Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked, feeling even more worried. He backed up. "Nothing. We just haven't spent much quality time together. Alone." She smiled and gripped his hand, knowing that it was true. Even if they shared a tent, they were always so busy they couldn't really talk.

They lay down on the floor and continued kissing. "Naruto," she asked between kisses, "what did Kakashi say to you?"

"He said that we would still try."

"That's great."

They lay sideways, facing each other. "It's too bad that he didn't call it off," she said. "Right? You know, what though? It gives us a little more time together," he said, pulling her closer. "It's nice to see part of you hasn't changed," she said as she curled into his chest. "I can't change now," he replied. "I've got a reputation."

She laughed. "As the loudmouth, lovable, funny hero?" Naruto grinned. "Most definitely." Silence wrapped around them as she closed her eyes, yawning. "Tired?" he grumbled. "Mentally," she muttered back.

They lay wrapped in each other's arms and a deep voice said, "May we have a little talk, Uzumaki Naruto?" The boy sat straight up and Tsulika opened her eyes to see the masked Akatsuki member. "Tsulika, go and get help," he said, eyes narrowed. "Not without you," she replied, hand moving to grab her katana until she realized that it was by the bathroom. 'Shit,' she thought, shifting slightly.

"You heard him, girl. Go on, now."

She grit her teeth and whispered something into Naruto's ear. "Good luck," he muttered back before Tsulika flipped backwards to grab her weapon. Naruto was already gone, but that's what she had predicted. 'Now time for the plan,' she thought, standing up with sword drawn.

. . .

Hahaha! What's the plan?

This chapter is too damn short! But that's alright, because it's a chapter that I actually like for once. Tee hee hee!

Lemme know what you think or feel Deyrian's wrath!

Deyrian: Nah I'm to lazy to wrath...

-.-' Lemme know what you think anyway.

Hey, do you have an idea for the cover?


	25. Snowballs and Swords

Silence

Chapter twenty-three

You guys... are the only reason I keep updating. If there's no one reviewing, favoring, and alerting, what's the point of continuing?

There isn't one. That's right.

So these chapters are for you.

~Snowballs and Swords~

Tsulika glanced out the window and saw Naruto out there, still alive. "Summoning jutsu," she muttered after biting her thumb. Deyrian appeared before her, bushy tail wrapped around his paws. "What's wrong?" he asked, yawning widely. "Listen, there's a man out there. He's trying to get Naruto. Here's what I want you to do..."

. . .

When Tsulika came up behind him, Naruto kept his body in front of hers. "Stay behind me." She was about to give Deyrian the signal when a wooden wall separated them from the man. Kakashi appeared behind him, a ball of electricity in his hand and Sharingan activated. "Tsulika! What's happening?" Deyrian asked through their mind connection. "Kakashi and Yamato came. Lay low and I'll let you go when they're done."

"Don't need to tell me twice."

She rolled her eyes as Naruto took her hand. "I will bring him back!" he shouted at the man, his grip painfully tight. She glared at him, too. "You can't, because hatred... is Sasuke's ninja way!" Naruto and Tsulika's eyes widened. Suddenly the man disappeared. "Damn!" snapped Kakashi as he tried to force the Chidori in. The man was already gone. Naruto let Tsulika's fingers slid through his as he clenched his fist.

"It's alright," she tried to assure him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "If what he said is true, it isn't alright." Tsulika looked at Yamato. "Where'd he go-" An angry voice yelled, "What the hell did you do to my inn?" The man sighed and turned around to see the innkeeper as Tsulika surveyed the damage. "He had to rip the wall out?" she grumbled.

"Well, you see, there an emergency... Could you two explain?" he asked, looking at them desperately. They glanced at the innkeeper's face and Naruto said, "I thought we agreed that you two would handle the hotel."

"I will deal with you later," Yamato hissed before turning back around. Tsulika elbowed Naruto. "You're so mean," she said, even though she was trying not to giggle. "Go back inside, Naruto. Tsulika, could you please pick up some ramen for dinner?" She nodded and sheathed her katana, secretly letting Deyrian go home during the process.

She walked to the restaurant through the sparkling snow, thinking about what the Akatsuki member had said. When she got to the restaurant, she took their orders to go. As she stomped back through the snow, someone shouted, "Tsulika!" She looked up to see Naruto, followed by Kakashi and Yamato.

"Did you say you were hot?"

"Wha-"

That's when she was bombarded with snowballs, thanks to her boyfriend. "You jerk!" she shouted when they stopped. The boy was laughing as she set the food down and made another one of the cold globs. When she threw it, it missed, but he was hit with another one from a different angle. "Kakashi-sensei!" the blond shouted, glaring at him with a pile of snow on top of his head.

Tsulika rolled in the snow, clutching her stomach and laughing. Naruto stuck a handful of snow down the back of her shirt and she yelped, trying to get it to melt. "You're so MEAN!" the girl shouted. He threw her a thumbs-up and she grabbed a handful of the fluffy white snow and dropped it down his pants.

"OI! Tsulika!"

He tackled her again and was about to kiss her when a voice asked, "Am I interrupting something?" They looked up to see Sakura, Sai, Lee, and Kiba with Akamaru. "Sakura... is something the matter?" Naruto asked as he pushed off of her and stood up. Tsulika stood up also and ran her fingers down her braid, trying not to blush.

"Well, Naruto, I just came to tell you..." Sakura looked down, a light blush spreading across her cheekbones. Tsulika got a bad feeling. Naruto again asked, "What's wrong?" That's when their pink-haired teammate opened her mouth and said what was on her mind.

. . .

Yamato and Lee were in shock. Tsulika's face was pale as Naruto stammered, "Wh-What did you say, Sakura?" She was looking to the side, blushing. "I said that I really like you," she said, moving her emerald gaze to Naruto. The white-haired girl clenched her jaw as Sakura moved forward and embraced the boy.

"What the hell is this?" (I am a NaruSaku fan, but c'mon, I don't think Tsulika would take this quietly!)

She hadn't meant for that to explode out of her mouth, but she was really angry. "It's not my fault that I feel this way!" Sakura shot back angrily. She moved forward and felt something touch her ankle and slide around it. It was an ink snake. Surprised, she glanced at Sai, who shook his head slowly.

With a dark scowl, she stepped back and Sakura continued to speak. "I've finally come to my senses. I'm able to hold you close like this." Her look darkened. "But Sasuke keeps adding to his list of crimes. He's becoming farther and farther away from me... But you're right here. I've finally realized your true self-"

"Stop it, Sakura! This joke isn't funny at all!"

Tsulika felt her jaw relax but continued to stare at them in shock. "N-Naruto... I..." Sakura started, but the boy wouldn't take any of it. "I hate people who lie to themselves." Both of the girl's jaws dropped. Kiba stepped forward and muttered something into Sakura's ear, but she stamped on his feet and turned away angrily, taking Naruto's arms from her shoulders in the process. They all turned away, Kiba grumbling to himself.

"Naruto," Tsulika said, touching his arm lightly. He looked at her and forced a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Well," said Kakashi before the sound of footsteps in the snow caught their attention. "Sai," said Naruto, eyebrow raised. "I'm a clone," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to warn you about what Sakura really intends to do."

. . .

"I'll ask once more. Where is your comrade Tsulika?"

"I don't... know..."

Sinefe crushed the ROOTS member's neck with one hand and let him drop. "They're all useless," he muttered, glaring at the corpses littering the floor. "They are, aren't they?" asked a familiar voice.

"Madara." Sinefe's voice was cold.

"Sinefe." The Uchiha's voice hadn't changed a bit.

"Have you come to hunt me down? Finish me off, perhaps?" the man asked. "Not at all. Just because I'm here doesn't mean that it's going to be an unpleasant meeting." Sinefe snorted, shaking his head. "Sure. If you want to finish me off, we can duel. Right here. Sharingan versus Kuragarigan. See who wins," he said.

"I don't want to murder you. I have a proposal."

Sinefe looked at him before saying, "I'm all ears."

. . .

Naruto grabbed the collar of Sai's shirt. "But why would Sakura do such a thing?" The boy looked to the side. "She believes she can convince you to return to Konoha and forget Sasuke. She intends to take care of him herself." The blond boy let Sai drop and a deeper voice announced, "You should go back to Konoha." They turned to see a red-haired boy. "Gaara," said Naruto.

"I saw Sasuke at the meeting. No words are able to reach him now. Just go home. I don't want one of my friends to get hurt."

The Kazekage disappeared and Naruto suddenly coughed, clutching his chest and falling forward. "Naruto!" Tsulika yelped, catching him before he could face-plant himself in the snow. "He's hyperventilating!" Yamato said. "Naruto, calm down," Kakashi told him as he fainted. "DAMN IT!" Tsulika shouted suddenly, feeling angry at Sakura and Sasuke and even Naruto.

Kakashi took him back into the hotel and Sai's clone went away, so she was stuck with Yamato. "Captain," she mumbled, looking down. He looked at her and she sighed. "Never mind." He pushed himself off the wall and said, "I'm going inside to check on Naruto." Tsulika couldn't believe her luck. When he disappeared inside, she went into the forest, keeping her footsteps as silent as possible.

That's when she stumbled across bodies. She yelped as she recognized her peers from Konoha before noticing that they were alive. 'Good God,' she thought. 'You're going through with this, aren't you Sakura?' The boys were on the side of the path, so she figured that they were alright. She continued through the forest and caught up with the pink-haired kunoichi a little while later.

"Sakura, stop!"

She did as she was told, but there was a look in her eyes that suggested that she would fight. "I don't want to fight you, Tsulika. Move," Sakura told her, giving her a death look. "You're crazy! Either crazy or stupid," Tsulika replied. "You can't stop Sasuke by yourself!"

"How'd you know?"

"... There was someone's clone..."

Sakura scowled and hissed, "Damn you, Sai." The girl stepped forward. "Please. Just come back." Sakura grabbed a kunai and Tsulika gasped before ducking. The kunai flew into a tree behind her and Sakura scowled. "You're really serious," the white-haired teen muttered before drawing her katana.

Her blade clashed with Sakura's shuriken and just like that, they were immersed in battle. Tsulika had to admit, if Sakura wanted to, she could definitely land a hit. "Oh damn," she hissed as the little blade grazed her side. "Well, you missed," Tsulika told her.

"Did I?"

That's when the paralyzing drug kicked in. "Sorry," Sakura told her, grabbing a rope and tying her to a tree. "I can't have you following me after that wears off." Tsulika muttered, "You're making a mistake." Sakura paused. "Maybe. But you learn from mistakes, don't you?" She watched as the kunoichi ran off, leaving her sitting in the snow.

'I'm sorry, Naruto. She couldn't be stopped.'

. . .

Oookay then! I thought it'd be fun to see a Tsulika versus Sakura fight! I like Sakura, she can be pretty badass! XD

As for the Sharingan and the Kuragarigan... Who do you think would win?

Haha the plan was interrupted!

Review and I might post another chapter...

(BTW, I'm listening to the radio. The dog's owner is watching Netflix! :D)

(That dog chasing his tail reminds me of that politician!) (Also from the radio :D)


	26. Playful Days

Silence

Chapter twenty-four

I think the Sharingan would win... I mean, sure, the Kuragarigan is really powerful, but... I dunno, cause they'd be caught in a genjutsu... Yeah...

~Playful Days~

Tsulika shifted, growing restless. The drug had worn off and she still couldn't get free. "Damn you, Sakura!" Tsulika shouted, slamming forward. The ropes tensed and relaxed as she did.

The white-haired teen scowled and suddenly felt something cool on her hand. 'A shuriken,' she thought before picking it up with difficulty. Slowly, she sawed at the ropes and they gave away one-by-one.

When she was finished, she stood up shakily, resting her hands on her knees until the feeling in her legs came back. Then she grabbed her katana and sheathed it quickly before running in the direction Sakura had left. She came across a large bridge and suddenly felt like something was wrong. The back or her throat was cool and she stopped.

'What was that?' she asked before noticing a bright spot in the water. She ran past a grater and lots of bloody footprints before stopping short. Sasuke was standing in front of a rock wall. A man with an orange mask stood beside him, as did Sinefe, in an Akatsuki robe. She felt her knees go weak as she catapulted over the edge of the bridge and dropped behind Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.

The three Akatsuki members disappeared as she did so and Naruto fell forward. Tsulika gasped and ran over to his side, catching him before he fell. Sakura also helped steady him. "It looks like he's been poisoned," Kakashi said, helping him stand up. Sakura blanched and Tsulika murmured, "What happened?"

"A story for another time. Right now, we need to get Naruto back to the inn."

The pink-haired girl spoke up. "I left something in the Land of Iron," she said nervously. "And, um, sorry, Tsulika." She smiled at her and Naruto grumbled, "What happened?" They both giggled before leaping up on the bridge. Naruto stood up and started leading them away, but was quickly caught in a wooden cage.

"I can't believe you just snuck away by cutting a hole in the floor! That's unbelievable!" Yamato shouted. Tsulika whispered to Sakura, "Wait for it..." That's when the man turned to look at her. "And you! I thought I could trust you with this!" Kakashi called, "It's alright! Just please fix it!" as Tsulika fought off the urge to say, "Well you thought wrong!"

"Honestly," the wood-user scoffed as he disappeared, leaving a very nauseous Naruto with them. "Ugh... Did he have to do that?" he groaned, stumbling into Tsulika. "I'm gonna hurl!" She pointed out, "There's water under the bridge."

He leaned on her as they walked past an extremely injured woman. "Who's that?" Kakashi asked. "I don't know. She was with Sasuke when I..." He nodded, kneeling next to her to check for a pulse. Then he shifted her to his back and stood up, holding the red-haired woman so that she wouldn't fall.

They made it back to where the three boys lay unconscious. Naruto stared at them. "That's what you left here?" Then, still swaying, he went over and kicked Kiba's head. "Move." Sakura started, "Naruto, please be gentle- YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LIE DOWN NEXT TO THEM?" Tsulika grinned and shook her head before sitting down and putting her boyfriend's head in her lap.

"Hey, Tsulika..."

"Hm?"

He grinned and shut his eyes. 'Of course. He just does stuff like that to annoy me.' She ran her fingers lightly through his hair as Sakura awoke Kiba and Lee. "Ugh... Sakura," Kiba groaned as he placed a hand to his head. "I'm sorry," she apologized, moving to Sai. He opened his eyes before she could. "I'm awake."

He glanced at Tsulika and touched his throat, making her nod. "Sakura, could you check something?" the ROOT member asked, turning to her and sticking his tongue out. She blinked and looked at Tsulika, her eyes widening in shock. "It looks fine..." She sighed. 'So the mark's gone. Wouldn't that mean... No. Danzo, dead? I hate the guy, but there's just no way...' Tsulika continued contradicting herself until Naruto woke up, courtesy of Sakura yelling at him.

She took his hand and they started off. "So, what happened? We were knocked out," Kiba explained obviously, stroking Akamaru's head. "Sakura went after Sasuke," Naruto replied blandly. "I knew that, idiot!" the boy shouted. "Who're you calling idiot, idiot?"

Tsulika said, "You're both idiots. Now shut up." They glared at her and Sai said, "I agree with Tsulika." Then he laughed. Naruto turned to him. "When did you get such a carefree laugh?" he demanded angrily, raising an accusing finger. Tsulika shook her head. 'They never stop, do they?'

. . .

Team seven sat in a circle on the floor. "I want to discuss something with all of you. It seems that ROOT has ended, since Danzo is dead." Neither Sai nor Tsulika changed their expressions, even though the girl was mentally cheering. Then Kakashi explained what happened at the bridge and the inward cheering came to a halt.

Naruto took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Any questions?" the silver-haired shinobi asked. Tsulika nodded. "Why did it take so long for the curse mark to go away? Surely he died long before it affected either of us." Sai answered that. "It's because the jutsu wasn't placed on all of us at once. It affected those who had it put on first, then the people afterward."

Kakashi nodded in agreement and they headed out to eat. Tsulika stayed quiet and simply listened to Kiba and Naruto argue the whole time. When they got back to the hotel, everyone was exhausted. Sakura was falling asleep on her feet. "Let's get some rest," Kakashi suggested. The reply was groans of agreement.

When everyone was in bed, Tsulika went over to Naruto. "Hey," he murmured, opening up the sheets so she could crawl on next to him. "Hi," she replied just as quietly, feeling his arm slide around her waist. "Tired?"

"Do I need to answer?"

Naruto kissed the back of her neck softly before whispering into her ear, "Sleep. I'll still be here." That's the last thing she heard before sliding into sweet unconsciousness.

. . .

Sinefe chuckled darkly at the young Uchiha. "You're a fool. You think the Uzumaki was joking?" Madara said, "Sinefe." The kept the man quiet, but he continued to glare at Sasuke. He met Sinefe's gaze with his Sharingan, an ugly scowl rippling across his features.

"Go outside. I need to talk to Sasuke alone."

Sinefe did as he was ordered, not daring to brave the elder man. He still remembered Tsulika stopping, her crystal gaze daring to look at him. Mouth quirked down, he went outside and looked up at the sky, at the stars twinkling there. Then he glared across the snow before taking a fistful of the fluffy stuff and smashing it in his fist.

'That will one day be you.'

. . .

"Naruto, sit over there!"

"But, Sakuraaaaa!"

"Shh!"

Tsulika grinned. They were back at Ichiraku's, and Sakura was angry with Naruto for 'attracting his fangirls'. It did seem that he had obtained quite a number, and no matter how many times she told him she wasn't, the boy insisted she was jealous. The teen gave in, grudgingly. Now, she crossed her arms and looked away with a, "Hmph!"

The fangirls, seeing an opening, swamped him. "Narutooo, can't I have an autograph?" one cooed. "No, no, I'm much prettier! I'd love one," another squealed as she planted herself in his lap. "Uhmm, Tsulika, Sakura? A little help?" he said, glancing at both of them in desperation. "No. I'm too jealous to do anything but sit here and pout," his girlfriend joked. Sakura burst out laughing and the boy eventually herded the girls away.

"Thanks for the help."

"No problem. Now you owe us."

He stared at them. "Note the sarcasm." Tsulika put a confused expression on her face. "What is this sarcasm? I have never heard of it," she said. "Says the girl who's used it countless times," Naruto grumbled. Sakura and Tsulika each grabbed an arm and marched him away.

. . .

"Why me?"

Naruto was staring at himself. Ino, who was standing in the corner, smirked. Using both her and Sakura's make-up, they had found the most gruesome combination and let Tsulika have it. She had no idea what she was doing, but she sure had fun.

Now he had a mustache, a ring of purple eyeshadow all around his eyes, and orange lipstick. Naruto demanded, "Where do you even get this color?" as he dabbed the the orange on his lips. "Give him a kiss," Ino said to the white-haired teen, who threw her a look that clearly asked, 'You crazy?'

"Alright, you've had your fun. Now lemme go," he said. "No, no," giggled Sakura, winking at Tsulika. She giggled and Naruto groaned.

. . .

Sakura stepped back, looking him over. "I have to say, you look cute." Naruto glared at her, nose painted black with whiskers spreading across his cheeks. "I get a puppy!" cheered the white-haired girl, hugging him around the neck. "Your puppy's gonna run away," he threatened. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Now stay right there," Sakura told him before running off. She kept a firm hold around his neck and he sighed before kissing her throat and nipping at her earlobe. "Naughty," Tsulika chided, wishing she had a rolled-up newspaper. He grinned. "I don't know any better! I'm just a puppy. And I must say, Woof." She burst into giggles as he kissed her again.

"I'm back!"

They quickly separated and the pinkette held the object up. "No," Naruto said, very bluntly. "Absolutely not." She pouted. "Just one little picture?" Tsulika hugged him around the neck again, pouting and quivering her bottom lip. "Argh... Fine. Let's get this over with..."

Sakura squealed happily and set the device on a timer. Just as she slung an arm around Naruto's shoulders and put on a peace sign, it clicked. She ran over to the photo and burst out laughing. While she and Tsulika held huge smiles, Naruto was pouting darkly. The white-haired girl looked up, but Naruto had vanished.

'Oh, well. I'll see him tonight.'

. . .

He was pretending to be asleep when she got there. "You dork. You couldn't have put on a smile?" she demanded. He pulled the covers tighter around him and she rolled her eyes before sitting down. Naruto looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling. "You dork," she said again.

He grinned and pulled her into his arms. "I really did have fun today," Naruto told her. "No matter how much I teased you." She laughed softly and closed her eyes, relaxing into him. "I love you," he whispered, giving her ear a whisper of a kiss. "I love you, too."

He cuddled up to her and was soon fast asleep, his gentle snores soon lulling her to sleep soon after.

. . .

Awwww. How cute! ^/^

I wuv this couple! 3

Sinefe! So freaking bad ass, and a {insert Sai's favorite word here}.

There shall be an epic showdown! I guarantee it.

Now, cover ideas? Dun have any.

Review! ^^


	27. The Blood of the Hishnit Clan

Silence

Chapter twenty-five

TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTERS, BITCHES!

ALMOST FORTY REVIEWS!

I SOOO PROUD OF MYSELF!

*Faints*

Naruto: Geez. -.-' She doesn't own anything. And damn she's heavy.

Don't call me fat!

(To be continued...)

~The Blood of the Hishnit Clan~

"Lady Tsunade!"

The Hokage looked up, one eyebrow raised as the shinobi leapt into the room. "There's... someone... with intel... on the... Akatsuki," he panted, resting his hands on his knees. She slammed up from her desk, her hands leaving dents in the surface. "Lead me to them." He turned and left, the Hokage right after him. She was led to a man with grey eyes and black hair.

"You're the business man!"

He looked at her. Scars ran down the side of his face. There were dark circles under his eyes. All in all, he looked terrible. "Please, I'm here to help. My wife was..." He swallowed. "She was killed. By Sinefe." Tsunade snapped, "Who's Sinefe?" He murmured quietly, "The Kuragarigan user."

She started, her eyes widening. "What would you know about him?"

"I'm Kioky... His cousin."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "He said he murdered his clan." Kioky shook his head. "Only his parents and siblings. My cousin is an evil man. He took my child and my wife from me, also. I can't handle living with him anymore. Please... Hear me out. Uchiha Madara gave it to him. He hasn't had it forever. I think... I think he's gone insane with power."

Tsunade looked down before asking, "Why did he even kill his family in the first place?" Kioky let out a shaky breath, shivering. "Sinefe has always been off. Some nights, he'd be the perfect little angel, and some nights he'd be the one getting into trouble. That was one of those nights."

. . .

"Aunt Piane? Can I have a glass of water?"

A boy about fourteen stepped into the hallway and suddenly gasped. His aunt, uncle, and cousins lay there, a pool of blood surrounding them. Only one of his cousins stood there. "S-S-Sinefe," he whispered, "what happened?" The boy looked back, a twisted smile coming across his blood-splattered lips. "I wanted to practice with my new kunai. They wouldn't let me." The smile widened. "I practiced anyway."

Kioky was starting to feel faint. He noticed a tear sliding down his cousin's face, but didn't point it out. "Let's run. Just you and me. It'll be just like the old days. When we talked about running and becoming ninja. We could change the shinobi world. We'd be the first people to share the role of Hokage!" Kioky looked up the stairs and Sinefe grabbed his face. "Please..."

He seemed heart-broken. The twisted smile had faded and he was now wiping the blood off his face, a look of horror coming over his face. "Please... I need someone..." Kioky nodded, knowing his cousin was now back to normal. "Thank you. I'll get money and you get clothes and food."

. . .

**{A few years later}**

"Kioky, three o'clock!"

The seventeen-year-old threw the kunai into the wood of a tree. Sinefe, now twenty, nodded. "Good job! Pretty soon, we'll be able to challenge actual shinobi!" Kioky chuckled, pleased with himself. Sinefe hadn't felt any need to kill since that night with his parents. Suddenly, he grabbed the boy and took him down, the air switching from fun to intense in less than half a second.

"Stay here."

Then he was gone.

. . .

"I don't know where he went that day," Kioky confessed. "All I know is that, after that, he changed. He grew more serious, and didn't speak of being the Hokage. We traveled for another few years, sharpening our skills. He'd sometimes leave and come back with blood splattered on his face. I didn't question it. Then the old man, Danzo, contacted us. We had gotten others to join up. Sinefe was neither of his personalities. He had settled somewhere in between, and was now working as a missionary, or a assassination group."

. . .

The man smiled as the woman took off, her daughter in tow. He and his group had taken out most of the clan. Now here he was, two members left. He strolled casually through the wood until he caught up with them. The mother was taken down and the little girl was pinned to the tree to entertain them.

That's when Danzo turned on them.

The ROOT members had already taken out three of his men before they noticed them. "It's Konoha! Retreat!" someone shouted. They all faded into the trees, silent as wolves. "Danzo, you damn snake," Sinefe cursed. Kioky looked at him before turning his gaze downward.

'How could she escape us?'

. . .

Kioky finished his story with a tired sigh. Tsunade nodded and stood, telling them to take him down the the prison. "Wait, Lady Hokage," he said, desperately slamming forward. "What?" she snapped. "There were two more! That got away!"

Tsunade turned back. "It's true! Her aunt and her half brother," he gasped. "Half?" the Hokage demanded. "Her father was drunk and there was a beautiful woman... He couldn't help himself." Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Where are they?"

. . .

Hishnit Davina wasn't expecting a man of about forty to knock on her door in a black cape with red clouds on it. "May I help you?" she asked quietly. "Indeed. I want to speak to you about the murder of your clan," he said, not attempting to force his way in. She recognized him and slammed the door, bolting it. Then Davina leaned against it.

"Your niece escaped," Sinefe shouted. She felt tears well up. 'I thought only I escaped. I thought Nira was...' Opening her eyes, she walked forward and stopped by the only picture she had. It showed we next to her sister, who was holding her newborn.

Davina heard him kick the door, but knew there was nothing she could do. Her summon couldn't help her, and he was in the Akatsuki for a reason. Leaning forward on her hands, she whispered, "Who does she look like? How did she turn out?"

That's when the katana ran her through. "Like her mother," Sinefe said as he pulled the sword out of her, letting her drop. "Of course," she wheezed as he turned. "Verina would be proud of her daughter..."

. . .

"We went to the locations he specified."

"And?"

"We found the woman lying on the floor, dead."

Tsunade stuck her thumbnail into her mouth, gritting her teeth. "And the boy?" The ANBU turned. "Bring him in." A boy about fifteen was walked in, struggling. He looked like he was starving. "Who are you? Why am I here? I didn't do anything!" he yelled, his red hair falling into his blue eyes. "Calm down, Gaven. You're just here to meet your family."

He stopped struggling. "I don't have any. My mom left me at an orphanage." She shook her head. "No, Gaven. Your father had another baby, a girl, with another woman." He scowled, glaring. "So? I don't want anything to do with her. Or him."

"He's dead."

"All the better."

"Gaven. Are you aware that you have the blood of the Hishnit clan?"

. . .

I know! I know, I haven't updated this, but I have a good reason!

I didn't want to.

Just kidding!

I had writer's block. Say thank you to the Legend of Korra for finally giving me inspiration. -3

Review!

(P.S. I actually like this chapter!)


	28. A Family

Silence

Chapter twenty-six

Yeah, no one likes Sinefe. Can't wait to see what you guys think! :3

~A Family~

Tsulika was laying with her head in Naruto's lap, listening to him talk. He suddenly cut himself off and said, "Tsulika, do you know that boy?" She sat up and looked over at the boy who was staring at her. "No," she said quietly, meeting his eyes. They were almost like hers. His red hair was dirty and matted. Then he turned away, a little fox kit in his arms.

After that, Tsulika fell into silent thought. Naruto continued talking, but she didn't hear a single thing. She was busy wondering about why that boy had been looking at her as if he expected her to do something impressive. Like she was supposed to impress him.

Naruto flicked her nose, successfully getting her attention. "Thinking about that boy?" She nodded, keeping her gaze on the sky. "Yeah. I'm thinking about him, too. Maybe he's just jealous of me," he said, kissing his biceps. Tsulika burst out laughing, holding her stomach. Then she sat up, stretching out her arms and back. "Let's go get something to eat."

He smiled. "I'm still gonna beat you."

"No way! I know how you gulp down the ramen so fast!" she replied, raising an accusing finger at him before running off towards Ichiraku's.

. . .

Gaven, at this time, was scowling. 'That white-haired girl was my sister. Of course, I get a lovesick weakling. She has no idea-' He was interrupted out of his thoughts by a sharp bite on his hand. "Ow! Olan," he complained, glaring down at the little animal. His fox whimpered and he sighed. "I know you're hungry. If these damned shinobi would bring us some food, then I could feed you, but..."

Olan laid his ears back and gave a tiny snarl. Gaven had found the kit starving and sick in the wilderness, and nursed him back to health. Now they were inseparable. Suddenly, the door opened. He wasn't being kept in prison, but they weren't letting him leave. Now came in the girl, her boyfriend, and a silver-haired man. The teens seemed shocked as they settled down, legs crossed. Olan sniffed and the girl's look softened. "I have a fox, too."

Gaven said nothing. He was staring at her. "I brought you some food," she said, taking one of the containers of ramen. He opened it, ignoring the steam stinging his eyes. His sister held out some chopsticks and he swiped them from her grasp quickly. Then he dug in, gulping down the steaming noodles and broth.

"Um, please, slow down-"

He slammed the empty cup down and grabbed another one, this time taking a small bowl from his backpack he always kept with him. Pouring some ramen into it, he blew on it to cool it down. The steam faded and he put it down in front of the fox. Olan gulped it down also, and continued doing that until it was all gone.

Tsulika was looking at the little fox with an air of surprise. "You really were starving," she said as she held out her hand. Olan snapped at her fingers and padded to Gaven's side, where he fell asleep. "Gaven... It's nice to meet you-"

"Shut up, bitch."

Naruto spoke up for the first time. "Don't call her that! She's shown you nothing but kindness!" The fifteen-year-old snarled, "No, she hasn't! If she were kind, she would've taken me out of that orphanage a long time ago!" Tsulika attempted to calm them down. "I only found out about you today, Gaven. I didn't know one of my clan members was still alive."

"Pfft," Gaven said. "I'm not part of your clan. They got killed off by what... twenty men? I'm not weak like them. Or you, for that matter." She allowed the first hint of annoyance to enter her eyes. "What makes you think you're so strong? I've not been impressed," she told him matter-of-factly.

"I've been at that... horrible orphanage for as long as I can remember. The other kids chose to hate me for no reason. 'Go back to the pit you crawled out of,' they'd say. I had no friends. They didn't feed us enough, and when they ran out of room, they sent kids out on a 'hunting trip'. We weren't allowed to come back unless we brought enough food to feed a whole table."

His teeth grit. "They sent me out on one. I was alone and sure I was going to die. Many did. But then I found Olan. I almost killed him, but he looked at me and I felt... A connection. He was injured, so I took him in. With someone to take care of, I vowed to stay alive. When I brought back a whole deer, I thought I'd get friends. I didn't, by that was actually alright. I had Olan."

Tsulika smiled. "You made a connection with a fox. Of course you're part of my clan. All our summons are foxes." Gaven glared at her. "Prove it." Biting her thumb to get the blood out, she did the hand sign and muttered, "Summoning jutsu." Deyrian poofed there, taking in the boy with a lazy tail-flick.

"Who are they?" he asked Tsulika mentally. "My half-brother and his... connection," she replied silently. Tsulika told him the story in a nutshell, all while explaining out loud how she was telling Deyrian all of this. Gaven was staring with wide eyes when she finished. "So why can't I summon or speak to Olan?" he asked, bringing the kit to his chest. "You've only got half the blood. It's not enough to fill in everything else. The important thing is that you established a connection and a bond with him. That's what truly counts."

Gaven nodded, even though it was clear he was still processing it. Tsulika was wondering if she was explaining it correctly. Hesitantly, she glanced at Naruto, who gave her a thumbs-up. "What about you?" the boy suddenly demanded, looking between the couple. "I want to understand you."

Tsulika leaned back, wondering where to start. "I'll tell you a more complete story later, but my earliest memory is of purple and silver eyes. And I don't feel anything close to happiness when I remember those."

. . .

Gaven stared at the boy, Naruto, almost distrustfully. Naruto knew that gaze; he had earned it before. They were sitting in the middle of a newly-rebuilt apartment. The red-haired boy wanted to simply go away, but he was forced to stay in Konoha because they wanted to 'keep a close eye on him'.

Being there with his sister made him feel uncomfortable. She had bought him some more mouth-watering ramen. Olan got some, too. Deyrian, her fox, was definitely a jerk. He didn't seem too interested in Olan, but when the kit bugged him, he snapped at him. Tsulika was much nicer, but that didn't mean Gaven trusted her. She was too... quiet. She didn't really speak to anyone other than the blond boy and him.

"When's my sister coming back?" he asked. "When she get another sleeping bag," Naruto replied. He was trying to be as nice as possible, but Gaven seriously got on his nerves. He was still glaring when Tsulika came back. "Uhm, what's going on with you two?" she asked.

"We're having a friendly stare-off," replied Naruto through gritted teeth. "I see," she said quietly, not wanting to know what this was about. She had a feeling things would be tense for awhile. Gaven seemed too stubborn to trust anybody. He clung fiercely to Olan and closed himself off to everyone else.

Tsulika let him. She could see that he was only going to trust them if they allowed him to keep Olan. Plus, the tiny fox was cute. She wished he liked her. After they were in bed, he sat down next to Naruto. "He gets on my nerves," her boyfriend told her. "I know. But I can't just let him be. I mean, he's my brother and I most certainly want the best for him."

He nodded before straddling her hips. "N-Naruto! We can't do this now! I mean, we have guests!" she protested as he bent down and kissed her collarbone. "Awww. I thought you were liking this," he said, tickling her stomach. "Damn," she said, trying to push him away. "We really can't- AH!" She couldn't finish the sentence because he chose to bring his hands to other parts of her upper body.

"Fine! But if Gaven asks us what we were doing, I'm leaving you to it."

. . .

Deyrian was summoned again the next day. "Look," Tsulika told him, "please babysit Olan." He growled, "The kit? Oh, come on! You know I have no patience with him!" She scowled and hissed, "I'm going to test Gaven out. Please? This way it's fair. I won't be able to use you if you're babysitting." Deyrian sighed and wrapped his tail around his paws, bowing his head in defeat.

"Fine."

She grinned. "Thank you!"

As she ran off, he called, "And make sure the next time you get it on with him, I'm asleep!" This was replied with a glare. Ten minutes later, se came back with the boy, who was still holding his fox. "But I don't understand! Why do I have to leave Olan? He doesn't fight!" Tsulika replied patiently, "Deyrian's gonna take care of him. It'll keep him busy and I won't be able to summon him while we're sparring. Don't worry, he'll be alright."

This was followed by a warning look as Deyrian picked the kit up by the nape of his neck. "Put him down!" cried Gaven as Olan started twisting. "Gaven, please, he's not hurt," Tsulika said, feeling very annoyed all of a sudden. Olan, however, was mewling and whining, "I don't want to leave him alone! I'm going back there whether you like it or not!"

He growled back, "No you're not. I'm in charge now." Olan snapped his tiny jaws, baring his teeth. "I don't like you!" Deyrian tightened his grip and the kit yelped. "That's better. Now, let's go."

He went limp and silent until Deyrian set him down in the woods. "Well, what're we gonna do?" he demanded. "I'm going to teach you how to hunt," he replied. Instantly, Olan's ears perked up. "Now, your fur is bright red, like mine. We have to be extra sneaky, since we don't blend in as well. Stay low to the ground, downwind of the target. Understand?"

. . .

Deyrian had to admit; Olan was quite the little hunter. Maybe even better than he himself. "Did I do it right, sensei?" the kit asked after he dropped the mouse at Deyrian's paws. "Yeah... Wow. You're pretty good," he told him as Olan curled up next to him. "Really? You think so?" Deyrian starting cleaning the kit up. "Definitely. Keep it up, and you'll become better than me." Olan snuggled deeper into his red fur. "No. You're way good. It was cool when you saved me from that hawk."

"Well, Gaven would kill me. Then Tsulika would revive me and murder me again, only this time it'd be slow and painful."

"That white-haired bitch?"

Deyrian hit him over the head with his tail. "Watch your language. She's actually a very good person, if you'd give her a chance. She already loves both of you." After that, Olan fell silent. When Deyrian shifted, he mewled, "I've always wanted a family."

Deyrian stared at the kit. "Yeah, kid. So did Tsulika and I," he mumbled as he relaxed, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

. . .

Awww. Okay, next chapter will be Gaven's test.

Hope you liked it! :3

Kay. Lemme know what you think! :D


	29. The Test

Silence

Chapter twenty-seven

Now, the fight scene between Tsulika and her newly-found brother, Gaven!

YAAAAAAAA!

~The Test~

"Now stand over there," she said, pointing. Gaven sneered at her before going to the spot she specified. "I don't want you to hold back," Tsulika told her brother. "Of course not, Sissy," he replied icily. She sighed and went to go stand on the opposite end. "Are you ready?" Tsulika called. "Definitely."

Apparently, he wasn't. He threw two shuriken at him so fast, he barely had time to blink as they pinned him to a tree. "N-No fair! I... I wasn't ready!" he shouted, blushing lightly. She shook her head as she walked forward and took the two throwing stars out of his sleeves. "Ninja won't wait for you to be ready. Now, be on your guard this time."

As she turned and walked away, something caught her ankle. She was suddenly in the air and slammed down again. Gaven smiled as she sat up, rubbing her head and gasping as she realized that the thing around her ankle was a rope of lightning. Her brother said, "See? You're not the only one with happy little jutsus. And by the way, I don't think ninja would wait for you to go back to your positions, either."

"You sneaky little creep!"

Tsulika found herself being lightly zapped and realized he had control over her. She smiled as she quickly did a few hand signs and thought, 'Lightning style: Thunder Avalanche jutsu!' Gaven was forced to remove the electric rope and leapt out of the way as a lightning bolt struck where he stood moments before. Taking advantage of the distraction, she disappeared into the trees. "Who's the sneaky one now?" Gaven shouted, cursing her.

'Wow... I'm definitely impressed with that justu of his, but the trash talk needs to stop.'

The boy suddenly stopped, and, clutching his heart, fell forward. As his body started convulsing, Tsulika realized he was having a seizure. "Gaven!" she cried as she ran to his side. Only when she was. A few feet away did she realize he was smirking. "Shit-" Again, she was lifted into the air. This time, he kept her upside-down and lowered her so his eyes were level with his. "Not only a little sneak, but a fine actor as well. Too bad that won't work in real life," she hissed, her ice blue eyes on fire. She had been befuddled by a starving, unruly, selfish and untrained boy.

"Ha-ha. Why, my dear sister, you're blushing," he said. "No," she hissed. "The blood's rushing to my face." Gaven chuckled before suddenly swearing as the rope loosened. If Tsulika hadn't been prepared, she probably would've got a concussion. 'His limit is three minutes,' she thought, rolling to a kneeling position. Gaven was gasping, sweat rolling down his face.

"Don... Don't think I'm done yet," he panted, one eye closed as he looked up at them. "Oh, I'm quite sure you've got some fight in you yet," she said. Her hands went together again and she did the same jutsu, this time making it land near him. Then she attempted taijutsu. Every hit she threw was dodged, even though he was tired. "You're fast," she said.

"Told you so."

This was followed by him sticking his tongue out childishly. Tsulika felt a surge of affection for her brother. Then the white-haired teen leapt back as he started his jutsu again, this time throwing some shuriken. He used the lightning rope to deflect the throwing stars. It crackled as it whipped back beside him. Tsulika smirked. 'Now that I've shown more offense, he's using his jutsu as defense. Smart kid.'

She knew that the only way she would reach him was by a distraction. She created some clones and split up, successfully making him loose focus on the real one. But as they gained up on him, the rope split in three and slashed at all of them, grabbing them all by the waist. "Little bastard," Tsulika hissed as her clones poofed away. Gaven said, "Let's end this before I run out of chakra."

Tsulika, with all her years of training in ROOT, absolutely refused to be taken down by this little smirking brat. She realized that the rope was attached to him by his wrist. 'I knew there was some kind of weakness to this jutsu,' Tsulika thought with a smug smile before she grabbed the rope in both of her hands. "What-" Gaven started before being flipped over. They both fell down and Tsulika scrambled up on her hands and knees, only to realize he had run into the trees. Taking a few breaths, she kicked herself into the trees and leaned against it. 'It's good thing I have lightning-type chakra or I would've been gone for good,' she gasped, wiping the sweat from her face.

Flipping him over had taken a lot of we chakra. She peeked around the trunk of the tree and saw nothing there. 'Time to finish this,' she thought as she stood shakily, reaching for her katana.

. . .

"Damn it..."

Gaven glared down at his wrist. It looked irritated. 'I have to hand it to her, she got the better of me. I never realized that that white-haired, lovesick weakling would flip me over using my Lightning Whip jutsu against me... Good thing she's lightning-style. One cautious blue eye peeked into the training field and he sighed in relief. She wasn't there.

"My dearest brother, there is more than one way I can sneak up on you."

He looked up and pushed away from the tree trunk, successfully falling into a small stream. "Damn," he said as his sister dropped down, katana drawn. Then he realized; he was in water. If he got her to step into it, then maybe... Gaven stood up and backed out of the water. "Come and get me," he taunted her. She took in the water with a smirk and stepped on it.

The red-haired boy wasn't expecting her to be able to walk on water. "Am I able to do that?" he asked, partially accidentally. "I think so. If not, I'll teach you later. It's really quite simple and easy," she told him. He nodded before dodging the shuriken thrown at him. "I'm getting tired of this game," she said. "Good. Maybe if you're tired, I'll win," he replied smartly.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Gaven gasped. A kunai was being swung around his sister's forefinger. 'How did she... When did she..!' Shaking it off, he said, "I bet that's what you did with that Naruto last night." She blushed. "How did you know?" Tsulika demanded. "I heard you," Gaven replied with a smirk. "I'm going to wring Naruto's neck," the white-haired teen muttered, her face beat red as she quickly took the kunai off her finger.

"Aha! Oh, Naruto, faster!" Gaven mimicked, enjoying himself.

"I didn't say that!" Tsulika snapped, her cheeks looking like cherries.

Gaven was laughing as hard as he could, gasping for air. "Your face... It's as red as a damn tomato!" Of course, he had forgot they were in the middle of a fight. She had pinned him to a tree with a couple of kunai and he swore, ripping the sleeves off of his shirt and pushing the surprised teenage girl down. Her katana fell from her hand and they rushed for it.

Gaven, being faster than his half-sister, reached it first and turned around, the sword held awkwardly in his hands as he leveled it at her throat. There was a cut in his shoulder where he had grazed the edge of the kunai. "I win," he panted.

"Nope."

He tended as the tranquilizer took hold. "I learned a few things from a fight I had with a medical-nin," Tsulika said. "You put up an excellent fight, though." The sword was taken out of his grasp and five minutes later, he was back on his feet. "Ow," he mumbled, holding his shoulder. "I'll get someone to take care of our injuries," Tsulika assured him, motioning for him to sit down.

Gaven did so, and, as she walked away, said, "This was really fun. I hope we can do this again one day... Niichan*."

She blinked before turning around. A smile came across her face. "I hope so, too, Otouto**."

. . .

* Niichan- sister

** Otouto- little brother

There we go! Fight scenes are a pain to write, but I actually thought this was pretty decent. I hope to start getting into a regular plot next couple chappies. WISH ME LUCK. Ugh.

Anywhoozle, review.

(I hope Gaven wasn't a Gary-stu...)


	30. One Mission, Two Chats

Silence

Chapter twenty-eight

Uhm... Haven't updated in forever, but I just had a vacation.

SweetInsanity

Nii-chan/Nee-chan- sister

Nii-san/ Nee-san- brother

~One Mission, Two Chats~

After the tranquilizer wore off, Tsulika found Deyrian and Olan asleep in the trees near where she had left them. "Oi, baka-fox," she said to Deyrian, nudging his head with her toe as Gaven chuckled.

"Err... What?" grumbled the fox, standing and stretching out his back. Olan looked at Gaven through half-lidded eyes before sleepily padding over there.

"We've gotta go and find some place to eat."

He huffed and glared at her, bushy tail immobile on the forest floor behind him. "And you're telling me this why?"

"So that I can pick up Olan. Gaven won't eat without him." Tsulika was getting impatient, and Deyrian knew it, as his ears perked up and he gave a foxy grin.

"Ooo. Well, it's going to be awhile for me. I'm fat and lazy and old so-"

"Don't give me any of the bull, Baka-fox."

"Let me rest, Silly human."

They continued to argue back and forth until Tsulika successfully led him to the ramen stand. "Ugh! I hate you," he growled at her.

"Love you more. Now wait out here and I'll bring you something later."

She entered the ramen stand with Gaven. Olan was nipping at his fingers as he played around with the boy. "Niichan," he said suddenly, "Where's the blond boy?"

"I... Actually, I don't have a clue," she said, blinking. He had said that he would meet them here for supper, hadn't he? As she wracked her brain, Gaven ordered for himself and his kit. He contemplated ordering for Tsulika, but shook the thought off a moment later.

"Hey, um, Tsu-Tsu?" he asked, trying a nickname.

She hit him and said, "TSULIKA OR NIICHAN. And what?"

"Um... Shouldn't you order?"

Her blue gaze widened as she looked up to see the owner waiting expectantly. Blushing, the girl rambled off her order and threw the younger boy a look for laughing at her.

Dinner was pretty quiet, what with Olan and Gaven gulping down their food and Tsulika eating slowly, thinking. When she was about halfway done, they had already been waiting for ten minutes. "Niichan, are you going to eat that?" Gaven demanded suddenly, making her jump right out of her skin.

"Oh... You can have it."

He smiled and she noticed that if he was grinning all the time, girls would be all over him. He looked what could be best described as hot. Not that Tsulika was thinking that, or course.

"I know." His tone snapped her out of it.

"What?" she asked, wondering of she had accidentally thought out loud. 'Have I gotten so used to speaking I say my thoughts?'

"You think I should smile more because I look nice. Well, I don't want girls clinging on me from all angles."

She watched as he sighed. "I suppose that's why I like my red hair. It keeps the chicks away."

Tsulika laughed. "I dunno. Redheads can be pretty cute," she told him.

"But you prefer blonds."

Tsulika was rolling in laughter at that one. "Yes, I prefer blonds," she agreed, earning a weird look from some of the people by the ramen stand. Gaven noticed and laughed with her.

Once they got out, Tsulika gave Deyrian some ramen. He left, giving her hands a lick before disappearing with a puff of smoke. That's about the time Naruto passed by.

He was hunched over, looking rather sick, actually. "Naruto?" Tsulika asked. "What's wrong? Do you need something to eat, or-"

"Full... Of... Bugs..."

She stopped. "Bugs...?"

He was already moving along. The white-haired girl followed him, asking what the hell was he talking about.

Gaven held Olan to his chest and walked with them, trying not to burst out laughing. The two bickered like an old married couple. By the time they got back to the apartment, Naruto had already explained what had happened and was looking like he wanted to sleep off all the 'bugs'.

"An octopus?" she asked, thoughtfully bringing a hand to her chin.

"What was that Gramps Toad on?" Gaven wondered aloud.

"Toad crack?" Naruto's guess was muffled by the pillow he had face-planted in.

Tsulika rolled her eyes. "You two are ridiculous. Well, there's only one thing to do, and it's find out which octopus," she sighed, placing a hand on her hip.

The blond turned over. "Yeah. Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"You're very much welcome. Anything to help," she replied sarcastically.

'Here we go again,' Gaven thought, sitting down to listen to another hilarious argument.

. . .

"So, I've got the ship set up for you. You all know what to do. Naruto, Tsulika, you will be explained what your part is later."

They looked at each other and Naruto asked the question. "What about Gaven?"

Tsunade looke at them with her bronze gaze. "He will be staying here and training as a chuunin. Tsulika said that he was a chuunin rank at least," she told them.

The girl gave a slight nod to confirm it.

It was an odd team. Yamato, Aoba, Gai, Tsulika, and Naruto had been called in earlier to day for an S-ranked mission. The teens felt kinda left out, since they didn't actually realize what was going on.

"Alright. Make Konoha proud."

"Right!" This was stated in unison.

"Dismissed."

The couple went home to pack as the older shinobi sat down. "Why're we bringing the ROOT member? Shouldn't she be informed about the war?" Aoba asked to start off.

"No," Yamato answered. "She may slip up and inform Naruto about it, and we can't afford that. Plus, she needs hiding herself."

Aoba raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is she the one..." He leaned forward, "who the Kuragarigan user is after?"

"I Think," Gai said, "That It's Amazing, Romance Blossoming In the Prime Of Their Youth. I Shall Protect Their Love With Every Ounce of Energy in My Body!"

The two men sweat-dropped big time. "Gai, that's not our primary concern as of now," Aoba told him, but he had gone into full Gai rant mode.

"Love is Something That Shall Not Be Tampered with!" he cried, standing up.

"Well, her brother's staying here," the man with the shady glasses said, choosing to ignore him for now.

"We don't believe he knows the boy has been rescued. I think he'll be staying at Sai's place," Yamato replied.

"Love Is the Fuel That Feeds the Fire of Youth! If There Is No Life Source, There Is No LIFE!" the man shrieked, throwing his arms up.

"Ah. I see. Well," Aoba said a little louder, "we're going to have to be a little smarter to fool them both."

"I know," the wood-user practically shouted as Gai's voice rose even higher. "I'm still working on it!"

"THIS MEANS THAT I, THE LEAF'S MIGHTY HURRICANE, MUST BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR ALL OF US, PLUS LOVE!" Gai screamed, tears streaming down his face dramatically.

"SHUT UP, GAI!"

. . .

Gaven raised his eyebrows as he stared Sai down. His sister had stopped by long enough to drop off a scroll and introduce the two before heading back to pack and pick up his stuff.

They stared at each other, keeping their eyes locked and unwavering. Sai's eyes were kind of cold, but bright with potential.

Meanwhile, Sai noticed that Gaven's were awkwardly balanced between dead serious and childishly playful. They matched Tsulika's in color, and he still had the last of the child roundness around his cheeks.

The kit was exploring Sai's new apartment, which was starting to smell like paint again.

"So, you're Sai. Must be this Shin's brother," Gaven finally said, hating the silence Tsulika had so desperately clung on to.

"And you're Gaven," Sai replied, figuring he'd been granted permission or something. 'Nickname,' he suddenly realized.

"Well. Hey. Guess we're roommates 'till whenever," he said, deciding to do a little peeking around.

"Of course."

Sai followed him everywhere around his apartment, watching as he stuck his pointed nose into everything. "What the hell," Gaven eventually asked, getting aggravated and a little freaked out, "do you want?"

"Nothing... Nosy."

"Nosy?!"

"It's your new nickname."

Gaven stared. 'Oh... It's going to be a long mission,' he inwardly groaned.

. . .

Fin!

Okay, I'm starting to catch up with the episodes (the manga confuzzles me X3) so I'll be needing help...

So, Gaven participating in the war and Tsulika with Naru, sound like a plan? XD

Then I'll figure out how to maneuver the battle I'm planning in there and write the epilogue. Bada-bing, bada-boom, it's over.

Then, Silence stalkers, you may go off and enjoy your life without my pathetic writing to weigh you down XD

Gotta go.

DUN THROW TOMATOES AT MEH! I DUN LIKE EM! D:

Gonna leave before you start throwing sharp things at me...


End file.
